Top bonus mile credit card offers: earn 50,000+ miles
You can often earn 50,000 miles or more with the right bonus mile credit card offer. We’ve searched around and haven’t found a reliable place that features current, lucrative introductory bonus mile offers from credit cards. So we’ve decided to check each month for the latest and best bonus mile credit card offers available the general public.
You can apply via the secure links to the bank’s sites below, but urge you to remember the following:
- Most mile credit cards require Good or in many cases Excellent credit…which often means a FICO score of 700 or more. Consider that before applying, as multiple applications can temporarily dent your credit score. Learn more about your credit score and bonus mile offers here.
- Offers usually only target people who are first time users of the card. If you’ve held it before, you may be denied the offer.
- We don’t recommend using a mile credit card for ongoing spending if you plan to carry a balance each month…as interest rates tend to be higher than standard cards.
- Other than that…have fun. Bonus mile intro offers are often a great way to earn free travel fast!
Chase Sapphire Preferred: 40,000 points (also good as United / Continental / Southwest miles)
>; Requirement: $3,000 in purchases within 3 months. No first year fee.
>; Value: 40,000 points is good for $500 in travel credit, almost 2 free domestic tickets on United / Continental, Southwest (as of 1/5/12), British Airways, and partners via point transfer, or 2+ free nights at most Hyatts via point transfer.
>; Valid on: Any airline/hotel (points as dollars), or use 1:1 instant point transfer (transfer to anyone’s United/Continental/British Airways/Southwest (as of 1/5/12)/Amtrak/Korean Airlines/Hyatt/Marriott account 1:1 and using the miles to book with them or partners).
Click here to learn more about the offer and apply.
United Mileage Plus Explorer: Earn up to 40,000 miles (60,000 possible if elite)
>; Requirement: 25,000 after 1st purchase, 5,000 with additional cardmember. 10,000 more miles if you spend $25,000 within one year. No annual fee first year. Bonus for new United card holders.
>; Value: Enough for 1 domestic roundtrip ticket
>; Valid on: United Airlines, Continental Airlines, US Airways, Lufthansa, Singapore, Air Canada, Virgin Atlantic, and more.
Click here to learn more about the offer and apply.
Note: you can earn 70,000+ United bonus miles by applying for both the Chase Sapphire Preferred and United Mileage Plus Explorer one month or more apart.
If you have an active MileagePlus account, then first login to your United account, then try following this link to see if you are offered a 50,000 mile bonus with a $50 statement credit that is targeted to select members.
British Airways Visa: 100,000 Avios points
>; Requirement: 50,000 points awarded after first purchase, 25,000 more after spending $10,000 within first year, another 25,000 if you spend another $10,000 within the first year.
>; Value: 100,000 points. Learn more about bargain redemption values.
>; Valid on: British Airways, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Japan Air Lines, LAN, Finnair, Iberia, and more.
Click here to learn more about the offer and apply.
Hyatt Gold Passport: 2 Free Nights at any Hyatt hotel
>; Requirement: 2 nights post after first purchase. $75 annual fee.
>; Value: 2 free nights at any Hyatt hotel — no capacity controls. If a standard room is available you can book it — even the $800/night Park Hyatt in Tokyo.
>; Valid on: Hyatt, Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Hyatt Place, Summerfield Suites, Andaz.
Click here to learn more about the offer and apply.
United Mileage Plus Club Card: Free United Club access for one year
>; Requirement: Posts after 1st purchase.
>; Value: $375 (a waiver of the United Mileage Plus Club Card’s annual fee for one year)
>; Valid on: Access all United Airlines, US Airways, and Star Alliance partner lounges.
This is a targeted offer mostly to United elite / Premier level flyers; to check if it’s available to you, first log into your United.com account, then click here to learn more about the offer and apply. If it doesn’t show up for you, you might have luck contacting Chase after approval to request the offer. You can do this online by logging into Chase.com and sending a message. Or, stop by a United Club desk and ask for an invitation code for the free for the first year version of the credit card.
Ink Bold for Business from Chase: 50,000 points ($625 in travel credit)
>; Requirement: 50,000 Bonus Points. 25,000 after first purchase. Another 25,000 after your spend $10,000 in the first 3 months your account is open.
>; Value: 50,000 points is good for $625 in travel credit, a 2 free domestic tickets on Continental/United and partners via point transfer, or 2+ free nights at any Hyatt via point transfer. [THIS IS THE BUSINESS CARD EQUIVALENT OF THE CHASE SAPPHIRE PREFERRED]
>; Valid on: Any airline/hotel (points as dollars), or use 1:1 instant point transfer (transfer to anyone’s United/Continental/British Airways/Southwest (as of 1/5/12)/Amtrak/Korean Airlines/Hyatt/Marriott account 1:1 and using the miles to book with them or partners).
Click here to learn more about the offer and apply.
Capital One Venture Rewards: Up to 100,000 miles via Double Miles Challenge
>; Requirement: Spend $1,000 on card within 3 months of activation. You must submit a 2011 year end statement from another travel credit card. You will be given bonus miles equal to double the amount you spent in dollars on that travel credit card in 2011. For example if you spent $15,000 on a single travel credit card last year you will be eligible for 30,000 miles. Maximum bonus is 100,000 miles, which requires a statement showing $50,000 in spending.
>; Value: Up to $1,000 for 100,000 miles
>; Valid on: Any travel purchase
THIS OFFER HAS EXPIRED; CAPITAL ONE HAS USED UP THE MILES ALLOCATED FOR THIS PROMOTION.
Marriott Premier Visa: 50,000 points + one free night (70,000 points possible)
>; Requirement: Posts after first purchase. $85 annual fee, none first year.
>; Value: 1 free night at any Category 1-4 hotel from free night certificate. 50,000 bonus points good for a free night at any Marriott related hotel, or 2 nights at a Category 1-5.
>; Valid on: Marriott, Ritz Carlton, JW Marriott, Renaissance, Edition, Autograph, Courtyard, Fairfield, Springhill Suites, Residence Inn, Towne Place, and ExecuStay.
Click here to learn more about the offer and apply. (there is an unpublicized 70,000 point offer being reported — you can learn about it here, but consider unplublicized offers at your own risk)
Ritz Carlton Rewards: 50,000 points (also good at Marriott) + Gold Elite status for 1 year
>; Requirement: Posts after first purchase. $395 annual fee.
>; Value: 1 free night at nearly all Ritz Carlton hotels (category 1-3), or use for Marriott hotels — good for 3 nights at a mid-tier Marriott.
>; Valid on: Ritz Carlton, Marriott, Courtyard by Marriott, Residence Inn, JW Marriott, Renaissance, EDITION, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites.
Click here to learn more about the offer and apply.
Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus: 50,000 points (good for 2 free flights)
>; Requirement: Posts after first purchase. $69 annual fee.
>; Value: $250 toward any Southwest flight, $400+ toward flights with ‘Wanna Get Away’ fare availability.
>; Valid on: Southwest Airlines.
Click here to learn more about the offer and apply.
Alaska Airlines Visa: 35,000 miles
>; Requirement: Awarded one to two weeks after account approval; $75 annual fee.
>; Value: 35,000 miles.
>; Valid on: Alaska, American Airlines, British Airways, Delta, Cathay Pacific, Air France, KLM, Qantas.
THIS OFFER HAS EXPIRED.
American Airlines: Citi® Platinum Select® AAdvantage® Visa Signature®: 50,000 miles
>; Requirement: Spend $3,000 within 4 months, no first year fee.
>; Value: Also receive $150 statement credit when you make an American Airlines purchase in first 12 months. 2 Admirals Club day passes. 50,000 miles enough for 2 domestic roundtrip tickets (subject to capacity), or 1 international roundtrip
>; Valid on: American Airlines, Alaska Airlines British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Alaska, Qantas, Hawaiian, and more.
Click here to learn more about the offer and apply. Note this is an unpublicized offer, so apply at your own risk. The current public offer is for 30,000 miles.
Also: Read here for tips on getting the most out of the 50,000 American Airlines miles
Citi ThankYou Premier: 50,000 points + 2x points on dining and travel spend for 12 months
>; Requirement: $2,500 in purchases within 3 months.
>; Value: 50,000 points, also earn 2x points on dining and travel spend for 12 months.
>; Valid on: Any airline, hotel, rental car Or gift cards.
Click here to learn more about the offer and apply.
Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express: 35,000 miles
>; Requirement: $750 in spending within 3 months.
>; Value: 35,000 miles (domestic round trip tickets start at 25,000 miles)
>; Valid on: Delta, Alaska, Air France, KLM, Alitalia, Korean, Aeroflot, others.
Click here to learn more about the offer and apply.
Fairmont Visa Signature – 2 free nights
>; Requirement: $1,000 in spending within 3 months.
>; Value: 2 free nights (any Fairmont hotel, no matter how expensive) plus breakfast. Get another free night each year you spend $12,000 on the card.
>; Valid on: Any Fairmont hotel.
Click here to learn more about the offer and apply.
Gold Rewards Card for Business from American Express OPEN: 50,000 points
>; Requirement: Awarded after $10,000 in purchases within 5 months of membership.
>; Value: 50,000 points — transfer 1:1 to several airlines, or use as up to $500 toward travel purchases or gift cards. THIS OFFER HAS EXPIRED AS OF 11/29/11
>; Valid on: Delta, Air Canada, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, JetBlue, Air France / KLM, AeroMexico, AirTran, ANA, ElAl, Hawaiian, Iberia, and Singapore Airlines. Hotels include Priority Club (Holiday Inn, Intercontinental, Crowne Plaza), Hilton, and Best Western.
THIS OFFER HAS EXPIRED
Hilton HHonors American Express: 50,000 points
>; Requirement: 50,000 points after $750 in purchases within 3 months. No annual fee. Expires 5/31/12.
>; Value: Varies, but you can usually get about 1/2 cent per point in value, so 50,000 points can be worth about $250 in hotel stays
>; Valid on: Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Embassy Suites, Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, Doubletree, Hampton, and more.
Click here to learn more about the offer and apply
Platinum Card from American Express (Mercedes edition): 50,000 points
>; Requirement: 50,000 after $1,000 in purchases within 3 months. $475 annual fee
>; Value: Transfer 1:1 to many airline mile programs, or up to $500 in gift cards.
>; Valid on: Delta, Air Canada, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, JetBlue, Air France / KLM, AeroMexico, AirTran, ANA, ElAl, Hawaiian, Iberia, and Singapore Airlines. Hotels include Priority Club (Holiday Inn, Intercontinental, Crowne Plaza), Hilton, and Best Western.
Click here to learn more about the offer and apply (note the annual fee on this Mercedes Benz version which offers 50,000 points is $25 higher than the standard Platinum Card)
American Express Premier Rewards Gold Card: 25,000 points
>; Requirement: 25,000 after $2,000 in purchases within 3 months. $175 annual fee, waived the first year.
>; Value: Transfer 1:1 to many airline mile programs, or up to $250 in select gift cards.
>; Valid on: Delta, Air Canada, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, JetBlue, Air France / KLM, AeroMexico, AirTran, ANA, ElAl, Hawaiian, Iberia, and Singapore Airlines. Hotels include Priority Club (Holiday Inn, Intercontinental, Crowne Plaza), Hilton, and Best Western.
Click here to learn more about the offer and apply
Starwood Preferred Guest American Express: 25,000 points
>; Requirement: 10,000 after first purchase, 15,000 after $5,000 in purchases within 6 months. $65 annual fee, none first year.
>; Value: Up to 6 free nights at Category 1 hotels, 2 free nights at many Sheraton/Westin properties.
>; Valid on: Sheraton, Westin, W, Four Points, Le Meridien, St. Regis hotels. Or, transfer 1:1 or better to over 20 airlines.
Click here to learn more about the offer and apply.
US Airways Premier World MasterCard: 40,000 miles
>; Requirement: Awarded after first purchase.
>; Value: 40,000 points — additional 10,000 points for balance transfer, and another 10,000 preferred qualifying miles.
>; Valid on: US Airways, United, Continental, Air Canada, Lufthansa, Swiss, Scandanavian, Singapore, ANA Japan, TAM Brazil, LOT Polish, and more.
Click here to learn more about the offer and apply.
Virgin Atlantic American Express: 65,000 miles
>; Requirement: 20,000 miles after first purchase, 25,000 miles after $2,500 in purchases, 15,000 miles after one year anniversary, 5,000 miles for adding an authorized user. $90 annual fee.
>; Value: Up to 65,000 points
>; Valid on: Virgin Atlantic, Air China, Singapore Airlines, ANA, Air New Zealand, BMI, Hawaiian Airlines, Malalysian Airlines, US Airways, Virgin America, V Australia, Virgin Australia.
Click here to learn more about the offer and apply.
Disclaimer: This content is not provided or commissioned by American Express. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of American Express, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by American Express. This site may be compensated through American Express Affiliate Program.
The Citi 50,000 Thank You point offer is awesome. But I applied for that card about 6 months ago, got same offer. Can I apply again? Is it smart to apply again? Thanks…
@Daru – Usually they want you to wait 18 months. Don’t think you’ll get the bonus twice before them, if at all. It was pretty generous the first time around!
I had the MC for 2 months and got the bonus. Then I applied last weekend, and received the Visa card. i say go for it
@Lu – Good news, thanks for the update.
A friend tells me that they have a Citibank Mastercard in conjunction with American Airlines, that allows them to cash in rewards to fly anywhere for 50,000 points.
Is this possible? I always thought the amount of points was based on the cost of the flight.
@Barry — Cards that earn miles directly into an airline’s miles program have a fixed amount of miles per trip. What he’s talking about is that with American Airlines’ mile program 50,000 miles lets him fly anywhere in the U.S. on any of their flights. Not anywhere in the world though. Sounds like he has a basic American Airlines credit card from Citi.
http://milecards.com/77/american-airlines-aadvantage-platinum-select-mastercard/
You’re thinking of cards that have bank / credit card point programs that are ‘generic’ and not tied to a specific airline like Citi Thank You rewards. Those point costs vary based on the cost of the flight.
I recently received a mail from United and it said you can earn up to 60,000 miles on the Mileage Plus Explorer card when you go thought this website: theexplorercard.com/60bonus by May 31, 2012.
@Po – Thanks — looks like that one is targeted to certain lucky members whose Mileage Plus number matches up in their system.
@Po -Thanks, looks like it asks for a MileagePlus number to cross check, but probably pretty widely accessible.
The 60,000 points special offer for the United Mileage Plus Explorer worked for me! Thank you for posting that!!
@Julian – Glad it worked!
Does the CITI thank you premier card allow tranfer of points to any airlines at 1:1?
@Justin – Unfortunately no, the points are only good for ‘cash value’ rewards where you buy a ticket outright with points.
Is US Airways Premier World MasterCard: 40,000 miles still good?
@Surfer – When you click onto the application itself, the fine print of the terms and conditions still says “Bonus Dividend Miles: Forty thousand (40,000) bonus miles will be awarded in the first billing cycle in which you have made a purchase or balance transfer (that is not later returned or rescinded. There is a fee for Balance Transfers.”
Has anyone recieved the 25,000 bonus miles for spending 2,500 in purchases with the Virgin Atlantic card. It states 2,500 in qualifying purchases. In order to reach that in 3 months I need to charge for other than retail purchases, such as home repairs, and am not sure if I will get the bonus when I do so. If not I will scharge it on a different card. Please advise if anyone knows.
Thanks!
@Justin- As long as it shows up as a merchant transaction and not something quasi cash like PayPal you should be fine. The fine print reads:
“Flying Club miles will not be earned for balance transfers, cash advances, including purchases of money orders or other cash equivalents, fees, interest charges”
So no exclusions on specific purchase categories.
Thanks for all the great info anfd for the links!
Thank you for the southwest Rapid rewards card link.
Is there any link for SouthWest Rapid rewards Business Premium ?
Thanks
@Venessa – You can use the same link. Just scroll to the bottom of the screen once you’ve clicked the link, and you’ll see a picture of the business credit card with the same offer.
Thank you link for Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards® Plus Business Card work but it does not work for
Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards® Business Premier Card . (this has A-list advantage). Pl help with the link.
Thanks
Venessa
@Venessa- So, after you do that first click to the ‘Plus’ Business Card, and are on the Business card page, go to the bottom again, and you’ll see a link to the Premier Business card.
Thank you. The link appears but when clicked it goes to chase site saying invalid .Not sure if i am not doing it correctly but it is do with chase site.
@Venessa — It seems to work fine with this link http://www.mychasecreditcards.com/T600-004/default.aspx?LP=6000215&AFFID=lw9MynSeamY-aAOeeOamE6soW5.k8l3I1w&CELL=6H8X&pvid=u1011881t0f0fp0dd0c128590s&vanity=southwest/octaffiliate
Thank you. The link works . how ever i got trouble when clicking on apply now it shows application unavailable.
With the marriot rewards card are you limited to just using your points for hotel stays or are there other options to use the points for.
@Justin – You can use it for other forms of travel, or to shop in their online merchandise mall, but hotel stays are really the best value of the program. The link below has examples of how you can redeem points.
http://www.marriott.com/rewards/use-points.mi
Thank you for the British Airways Promotion info..
I used your Alaska Airlines 40,000 Visa link, but it appears to be no longer available. Please advise if otherwise.
Thanks,
C Schaffer
@C Schaffer – Thanks for the heads up. That Alaska deal has now expired.
The link you sent me for HHonors 50Kmiles/$750 spend secure application did not connect.
Would you check it and re-submit if possible? Please advise.
Thanks Sincerely,
C Schaffer
Here is the link
https://www262.americanexpress.com/apisites/microsite/apply/hilton-hhonors-card/71-1000-108?returnUrl=https://www.americanexpress.com
I was denied the Citi® / AAdvantage® Gold and/or Platinum cards even though my credit score is 800. I have had a Bank America visa card since 1978 with a spending monthly limit of $21000 and a regular Citi card for $10,000 since 1995. My annual income is $120,000 with no other debt except a $568 momthly mortgage payment on my house which I could pay off if I wanted
I have never carried any balance on both I have always paid whatIi owed in full each month when due.
Their reason for the denial: Too few satisfactory credit references were recorde on your credit report.
What does satisfactory means when you have a credit score of 800.?
I beleive the real reason is the fact that not carrying any balance I am a bad customer for them!
Am I right?… because I have been approved with Capital one with the same criteria.
Thank you for your reply.
It is odd — FYI you can try the Citi reconsideration line which is 800-763-9795 .
What is the difference between the Sapphire Preferred and regular Sapphire card?
The Chase Sapphire Preferred carries a $95 annual fee versus none for the regular Sapphire. The biggest benefit you get for that fee is the ability to transfer your points 1:1 into airline mile and hotel point programs, including Continental Airlines, British Airways, Hyatt Hotels, Marriott Hotels, and Priority Club hotels.
Also being able to use Chase’s amazing Ultimate Rewards Points. You can use any credit cards with the shopping portal and they are very generous with their points earnings. The really best way to use this card is in combination with a Chase Checking and Freedom Card.
Also, Chase Sapphire Preferred + Chase Freedom + Chase Checking = Huge amount of points!
Dansdeals write a great post about this potential for huge points.
Read his article here: http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/19419