7 Cards Currently Offering 100,000-Point Welcome Bonuses

7 Cards Currently Offering 100,000-Point Welcome Bonuses

DON’T MISS OUT! The Limited Time Offer on The Business Platinum® Card from American Express OPEN is almost over. Earn up to 100k points until 8/8/18!

These are some of the best rewards Credit Cards available

Whether you’re new to the world of travel rewards or simply looking to top up one of your balances, credit card welcome bonuses are the fastest way to get you there. There’s nothing quite like the thrill of seeing a massive bonus post to your account and realizing how much of the world you’ll get to explore with it.

If you’ve been thinking about adding a new card to your wallet, now is the perfect time. We’re currently seeing 100,000-point bonuses on some of the best cards on the market. But don’t be fooled — not every 100,000-point offer is worth the same amount. Here’s a rundown of the currently available 100,000-point offers and which ones should top your list.

 

 

Card	Annual Fee	Bonus (value based on TPG’s valuations)	Notable Perks
The Business Platinum® Card from American Express	$450	100,000 points $1,900	$200 airline credit, Centurion lounge access, and many more. Terms apply.
British Airways Visa Signature Card	$95	100,000 points $1,500	Travel Together Ticket after spending $30,000 in a year
Aer Lingus Visa Signature Card	$95	100,000 points $1,500	Companion Ticket after spending $30,000 in a year (economy only)
Hilton Honors American Express Ascend Card	$95	100,000 points $600	One free weekend night after spending $15,000 in a year, Diamond status after spending $40,000 in a year. Terms apply.
Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express	$450	100,000 points $600	$250 airline credit, $250 Hilton resort credit, $100 property credit on eligible stays of 2 or more nights at Waldorf Astoria and Conrad hotels. Terms apply.
Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express	$95 (waived the first year)	100,000 points $900	6x points at SPG and Marriott properties, complimentary Silver Elite status, free night award after account anniversary
IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card	$89	100,000 points $600	10x points at IHG hotels, fourth night free on award stays, anniversary free night, complimentary Platinum Elite status

Amex Business Platinum

It’s incredibly exciting to see the 100,000-point offer back on the Business Platinum, as this is one of the most valuable welcome bonuses ever. TPG values Membership Rewards points at 1.9 cents each, meaning that if you earn the full bonus amount, you’ll get $1,900 worth of points. The bonus is tiered though, and in order to earn the full 100,000, you’ll have to spend quite a bit:

Earn 50,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $10,000 in the first 3 months Earn another 50,000 points after spending an additional $15,000 in the first 3 months

Remember, this card is made for small businesses, so it’s not unusual for them to have a high level of expenses. But even after you’ve earned the welcome bonus, this card is still a keeper. It offers a $200 annual airline credit, a Priority Pass select membership, access to Centurion lounges, access to Delta Sky Clubs (when flying Delta), Gold status with Hilton Honors and Starwood (which will convert to Marriott Gold in the new program) and a host of other benefits. The $450 annual fee isn’t cheap, but the long list of perks helps offset it and it’s still $100 cheaper than the $550 annual fee on the personal Platinum Card® from American Express.

Speaking of the personal Amex Platinum, if you’re hoping to find a 100,000-point offer on that card — and you happen to be lucky — you might find a targeted offer through the CardMatch tool. You just need to enter some information about yourself, including your name and the last four digits of your SSN, and the tool will deliver you personalized card offers, which could include a 100,000 point welcome bonus on the Amex Platinum. That targeted offer resurfaced earlier this year and still seems to be available to some fortunate applicants.

British Airways Visa Signature Card

The British Airways Visa Signature Card is also offering a tiered 100,000-point bonus, but thankfully both the spending requirements and the timeframe to complete them are significantly more reasonable.

Earn 50,000 Avios after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months Earn an additional 25,000 Avios after spending a total of $10,000 in the first 12 months Earn another 25,000 Avios after spending a total of $20,000 in the first 12 months

The last two tiers of this bonus count all your purchases for the year, so after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months, you only need another $7,000 to unlock the second tier. When you factor in the spending you have to do to earn the bonus, you’ll walk away with a grand total of 120,000 Avios, which is enough to take some pretty impressive trips.

Co-branded airline credit cards usually don’t come with that many bells and whistles, but the British Airways Visa has one impressive perk worth trying to take advantage of: the Travel Together Ticket. You’ll earn this pass after spending $30,000 in a calendar year, and unlike other companion fares, this one is valid on award tickets instead of cash bookings. Just pay taxes and fees — which to be fair, can be quite high on British Airways — and your friend can travel in the same cabin as you (pending availability).

Aer Lingus Visa Signature Card

The Avios program is unique in that multiple airlines — British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus — all participate in some form of it. Even better, you can combine Avios between these different programs depending on which airline you want to book with. So if 120,000 Avios isn’t enough for the trip you’re planning, you can also sign up for the new Aer Lingus Visa Signature Card, which is offering the exact same tiered 100,000-point sign-up bonus. The new Iberia Visa Signature Card is also offering a similar bonus of up to 75,000 Avios if you complete the first two spending tiers ($3,000 in the first 3 months and $10,000 total in the first 12 months). Just note that you shouldn’t necessarily apply for the British Airways Visa, Aer Lingus card and Iberia card all together in short order, as you could be shut down by Chase for that sort of activity.

Because of the incredible value that can be found in the British Airways distance based award chart, TPG values Avios at 1.5 cents each, making this 100,000-point bonus worth a nice $1,500. Also, none of these cards appear to be subject to Chase’s 5/24 rule.

Hilton Amex Aspire and Hilton Amex Ascend

While Hilton points are the least valuable currency on this list at only 0.6 cents apiece, there are currently two Hilton cards offering a 100,000-point welcome bonus. Both the Hilton Honors Ascend Card from American Express and the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express are offering these bonuses, and since they’re different credit card products, you’re able to get both if you want. For the Ascend, spend $2,000 in 3 months to earn the bonus, and for the Aspire, spend $4,000 in 3 months.

These cards cater to different markets, as the Ascend has a lower annual fee and fewer perks, while the Aspire is a value-packed premium card with a hefty annual fee to match. The Ascend gets you complimentary Hilton Gold status and the ability to upgrade to Diamond by spending $40,000 in a year, plus a free weekend night certificate for spending $15,000 in a year, and 10 free Priority Pass visits a year.

The Aspire has a $450 annual fee, but in exchange for that fee, you’ll automatically receive top-tier Hilton Diamond status, one free weekend night when you open your card and another every year when you renew. Cardmembers get a full Priority Pass membership with guesting privileges and a number of statement credits to offset the high fee: a $250 annual airline credit, a $250 Hilton resort credit at participating hotels, and a $100 property credit on eligible stays of two nights or more at Conrad and Waldorf Astoria hotels.

If you’re having trouble deciding between these two Hilton cards, make sure to check out our story comparing “Hilton Ascend vs. Hilton Aspire: Which Card Is Right for You?”

Starwood Preferred Guest Business Credit Card from American Express

With the official switchover for the new Marriott program happening on August 18, we’ve seen plenty of changes recently — including to the existing Starwood Preferred Guest Amex cards. Both the personal and business versions of the cards are offering elevated welcome bonuses, but the business flavor is the higher of the two (100,000 points vs. 75,000 points). You’ll earn the 100,000 points after you spend $5,000 in the first three months.

This card’s $95 annual fee is waived the first year, and there are no foreign transaction fees. Benefits include a free award night good for a stay that costs up to 35,000 points per night (awarded after your account anniversary), complimentary Silver Elite status and 15 elite night credits toward status starting in 2019.

IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card Earn 10x points on IHG hotel stays with the IHG Rewards Club Premier Card. Featured image courtesy of InterContinental New York Times Square.

This card launched with an 80,000-point bonus, but it’s since been boosted to 100,000 points after you spend $3,000 in the first three months. While this isn’t the best option for everyday spending, it’s a great card for IHG stays, both because you’ll earn 10x points on spending and because you’ll get a fourth night free on award stays.

There’s a $89 annual fee, and no foreign transaction fees. In addition to earning 10x points on IHG stays, you’ll earn 2x points at gas stations, grocery stores and restaurants, and 1 point per dollar on everything else. As a cardmember, you’ll get complimentary Platinum Elite status, and you also get a free night at properties that cost up to 40,000 points per night (awarded each year after your card anniversary).

Featured image of the Hilton Conrad Maldives courtesy of the hotel.