The best credit card offers in July: earn points, miles, or cash back

The best credit card welcome offers in July:

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card: Earn up to 100,000 points after meeting tiered minimum spend requirements (Elevated offer)
• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: 60k Chase points after you spend $4k in the first 3 months of account opening
• Chase Freedom Unlimited®: $200 back after you spend $500 in the first 3 months of account opening
• Platinum Card® from American Express: 60k Amex points after you spend $5k in the first 3 months of account opening
• Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card: 50k Capital One miles after you spend $3k in the first 3 months of account opening
• Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card: 100k points after you spend $15k in the first 3 months of account opening
• Citi Premier Card: 60k Citi points after you spend $4k in the first 3 months of account opening
• American Express® Gold Card: 35k Amex points after you spend $4k in the first 3 months of account opening 

If you want to earn points, miles, or cash back, the quickest option is signing up for a rewards credit card and earning its intro bonus. This typically requires meeting a minimum spending requirement in the first three months or 90 days, and it's well worth it — you'll be rewarded with thousands of points or miles to put toward your next trip, or with a sizeable amount of cash back. 

Why earn credit card rewards in the middle of an pandemic?

With travel on hold due to the pandemic, now may seem like an odd time to open a travel rewards credit card, but earning a sign-up bonus now can put you in a great position to use points and miles for your next vacation, whenever that may be. 

Plus, in addition to allowing extra time to earn a welcome bonus, issuers like American Express and Capital One are offering additional benefits tailored to life in quarantine, including new bonus categories for earning rewards and the option touse Capital One miles to cover food delivery and streaming services. And many issuers are extending the time you have to earn a welcome bonus— in most cases, from three to six months.

Before you apply for a new credit card, make sure you understand how credit card applications affect your credit score. Also make sure you treat your credit cards like debit cards, only spending what you can afford to pay back each month. If you carry a balance to earn rewards, you'll be putting yourself in a bad financial position — and the interest fees you'll rack up will easily outweigh any points or miles you earn.

1. Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card

Welcome offer: 70,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points after you spend $5,000 in the first three months from account opening, another 30,000 points after you spend $25,000 in the first six months from account opening

Annual fee: $199

Southwest's premium business card is running an elevated bonus, and if you can earn the full 100,000 points, you'll have plenty of rewards for booking flights — and you'll earn the Southwest Companion Pass.

The Companion Pass gets you two-for-one travel (your companion only has to pay taxes and fees), and you need to earn 125,000 qualifying points in a year to earn it. You'll meet that requirement if you earn the full 100,000-point bonus (since you'll earn at least 1 point per dollar on the $25,000 in required spending), so this offer could potentially be a great deal.

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card offers an application fee credit of up to $100 for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, plus four upgraded boardings on Southwest per year and in-flight Wi-Fi credits. 

2. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Welcome offer: 60,000 Chase points after you spend $4,000 in the first three months from account opening

Annual fee: $95

If you want a rewards credit card with points that can be used with a variety of travel partners, you can't go wrong with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. It's one of the best general credit card picks if you're new to the world of points and miles or if you don't want to pay the $550 annual fee of the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, as the Sapphire Preferred has a $95 annual fee.

The card has been offering a 60,000-point sign-up bonus for the last several months, and you can use those points to book travel directly through Chase, or you can transfer them to partners like British Airways, Hyatt, Singapore Airlines, and United.

Beyond earning some of the most valuable points around, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers primary car rental insurance and doesn't charge foreign transaction fees.

3. Chase Freedom Unlimited®

Welcome offer: $200 after you spend $500 in the first three months

Annual fee: None

The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is one of the best cash-back cards you can get, and it also offers one of the intro bonuses. Beyond the $200 sign-up bonus, you'll earn 1.5% cash back on every purchase you make, with no bonus categories to keep track of.

You can even pair the Freedom Unlimited with one of Chase's more premium cards, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve®, and you'll be able to redeem the rewards from the Freedom Unlimited for travel with transfer partners like Hyatt, Marriott, United, and Singapore Airlines.

4. Platinum Card® from American Express

Welcome offer: 60,000 Amex points after you spend $5,000 in the first three months from account opening

Annual fee: $550

If you travel frequently and can put its many, many benefits to use, the Amex Platinum can be an easy decision even with its $550 annual fee. See how Business Insider's David Slotnick got more than $2,000 in value from the card in his first year for more info.

Of course, no one's traveling right now due to the coronavirus, but it could still be worth getting the Platinum Card, especially because American Express has added some limited-time benefits to its cards, including up to $320 in statement credits for select streaming services and wireless telephone services purchased directly from US service providers (up to $20 each month from May to December) on the Amex Platinum. If you can take advantage of this perk, it could still make sense to add the card to your wallet when you can't travel in the immediate future.

Some of the card's top perks include a 5x earning rate on airfare purchased directly from the airline, up to $200 in airline fee credits each calendar year, up to $200 in Uber credits each cardmember year, and up to $100 in Saks Fifth Avenue credits each calendar year. 

The card also stands out for its airport lounge access benefits. As a card member, you can access Amex Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Clubs (when you're flying Delta), Priority Pass lounges, Air Space Lounges, International American Express Lounges, Escape Lounges, and Plaza Premium Lounges.

You can use the Amex Membership Rewards points you'll earn with this card to book travel with airlines like British Airways, Delta, and Emirates, and with hotel partners including Marriott.

5. Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card

Welcome offer: 50,000 miles after you spend $3,000 in the first three months from account opening

Annual fee: $95 

The Capital One Venture Rewards Crdit Card has consistently added benefits over the last year or so. While previously you could only use miles to erase purchases on your statement, you can now transfer them to a variety of airline programs, including Air Canada, Air France/KLM and Etihad. There are occasionally transfer bonuses that help you stretch your miles further, too.

This card offers a strong lineup of benefits considering the reasonable $95 annual fee. You get an application fee credit of up to $100 for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, and earn 2x miles on all purchases.

6. Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Welcome offer: 100,000 points after you spend $15,000 in the first three months from account opening

Annual fee: $95

The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card offers the highest sign-up bonus among Chase cards that earn Ultimate Rewards points. Plus, it has generous bonus categories — you'll earn 3 points per dollar in the first $150,000 in combined purchases you make on categories including travel, shipping, and advertising (and 1 point per dollar on everything else).

This card has a $95 annual fee, and it offers benefits like primary rental car insurance when you're renting a car for business purposes.

7. Citi Premier Card

Welcome offer: 60,000 Citi ThankYou points after you spend $4,000 in the first three months from account opening

Annual fee: $95

In addition to offering a very solid sign-up bonus, the Citi Premier Card stands out for its recently added bonus categories, which have actually yet to take effect. Starting on August 23, you'll earn 3 points per dollar at restaurants and supermarkets. This makes the card a great option for maximizing your everyday purchases, because everyone has to eat.

Also on August 23, the Citi Premier Card will add a new hotel savings benefit. This perk will save you $100 once per calendar year when book a hotel stay of $500 or more through thankyou.com.

8. American Express® Gold Card

Welcome offer: 35,000 Amex Membership Rewards points after you spend $4,000 in the first three months

Annual fee: $250

The Amex Gold Card may not have the highest welcome bonus on this list, but 35,000 Amex points are worth $700, according to valuations from The Points Guy. Plus, this card earns 4x points at US supermarkets (on up to $25,000 each year, then 1x) and 4x points at restaurants worldwide, so you have plenty of opportunities to earn additional rewards on your quarantine spending.

FAQ

What is a sign-up bonus?

A sign-up bonus, also known as a welcome bonus or intro offer, is a reward of points, miles, or cash back for new cardholders who meet designated requirements. Usually, these requirements involve meeting a minimum spending threshold within the first three months after you open your new credit card account.

Do credit card sign-up bonuses change?

Some credit cards almost always have the exact same sign-up bonus, while others change frequently. If you're considering opening a new rewards credit card, do your research to see whether the card you want has previously offered a higher bonus. If it has, it could be worth waiting until that elevated offer returns, or you may even be able to find that higher offer through the credit card issuer's website.

What is the best credit card sign-up bonus?

There isn't one single best sign-up bonus, because even if one card offers more points, not all points and miles are valued equally. There are also different types of credit card rewards: points, miles, and cash back, so the best sign-up bonus for you depends on the rewards you value most.

How can I use a credit card sign-up bonus?

There are typically several options for using a credit card sign-up bonus.

If you earn a cash-back sign-up bonus, you could be able to use it toward a statement credit to reduce your credit card bill, or you could receive the money in check form. With a travel rewards card, you could use your points or miles to book an award trip, or you decide to cash them out for gift cards, money back, or merchandise.

The exact options depend on the credit card you have and its specific rewards program, but the bottom line is that there are several possibilities for using your sign-up bonus.

Is a credit card without a sign-up bonus still worth it?

The short answer is yes. A credit card sign-up bonus can be a great incentive to apply, especially if you're looking at a card that has an annual fee, but not every good credit card offers an intro bonus. For example, the Citi® Double Cash Card is one of our favorite cash-back credit cards, but it doesn't offer a sign-up bonus. It could be worth forgoing an intro bonus if that card's 2% cash back (1% back when you make a purchase, and another 1% back when you pay your bill) appeals to you. 

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How waste is dealt with on the world's largest cruise ship