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As joyful as the holidays are, it’s also a time of year when we spend more. And it’s not just gifts that can hit the budget hard — travel and preparing big meals for the family add up quickly.
When you have extra expenses on the horizon, the holiday season can be a good time to look at turning those bills into bonuses with a rewards credit card. The biggest offers generally require the most spending. Below, we highlight bonuses that can save you chunks of cash on your holiday shopping and travel.
Best credit card bonuses for the holidays
Instant $250 savings with the…
The Prime Visa is only available to Amazon Prime members ($139 for an annual membership and $14.99 for a monthly membership) but is very rewarding for Amazon purchases.
- High rate of return at Amazon and Whole Foods
- Easy-to-earn welcome bonus
- Requires an Amazon Prime membership
- If you choose the promo APR you won’t earn rewards on those purchases
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select’s editorial staff.
- Limited-Time Offer: Get a $250 Amazon Gift Card instantly upon approval exclusively for Prime members
- Best Amazon Gift Card offer for Prime Visa
- Earn unlimited 5% back at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market and on Chase Travel purchases with an eligible Prime membership
- Prime Card Bonus: Earn 10% back or more on a rotating selection of items and categories on Amazon.com with an eligible Prime membership
- Earn unlimited 2% back at gas stations, restaurants, and on local transit and commuting (including rideshare)
- Earn unlimited 1% back on all other purchases
- No annual credit card fee
- No more waiting. Redeem daily rewards at Amazon.com as soon as the next day
- Member FDIC
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 4% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
The Prime Visa (see rates and fees) is a standout credit card, in part due to how easy it is to earn the welcome bonus. Once you’re approved for the card, you’ll receive a $250 Amazon gift card instantly. If you still have a long list of gifts to check off your list, this bonus is one of the easiest ways to cut your costs.
On top of the easy-to-earn bonus, you’ll also receive 5% cash back on purchases at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market and on Chase Travel purchases (with an eligible Prime membership).
$750 off your next travel booking with the…
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has a reasonable annual fee and earns flexible travel rewards, which makes it a great travel card for beginners or heavy travelers.
- Valuable welcome offer worth at least $750 in travel
- You can transfer miles to over 15 Capital One partners, including Emirates Skywards, Choice Privileges and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- No foreign transaction fees
- Lacks ongoing travel benefits such as statement credits or lounge access
- Limited bonus spending category that only applies to certain Capital One Travel bookings
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select’s editorial staff.
- Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
- Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Miles won’t expire for the life of the account and there’s no limit to how many you can earn
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
- Enjoy a $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection
- Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
Balance transfer fee
$0 at the Transfer APR, 4% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer to you
Foreign transaction fee
When using travel rewards, it’s generally a good idea to book well in advance (especially for flights). Open award seats can quickly disappear during peak travel times. One way around this is to use points or miles to offset travel charges you pay in cash, rather than using them to book awards with limited availability.
If you need to book last-minute travel, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is a strong option. Its annual fee is reasonable ($95), and the welcome bonus is worth $750 in travel (75,000 miles) when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months. You also have 90 days from the date of purchase to use your miles to offset a travel purchase.
This is helpful because you typically don’t earn miles the instant you hit a spending requirement; miles may not show up in your account until the billing cycle closes. Plus, Capital One offers instant access to eligible applicants, so you can make purchases before the physical card arrives in the mail.
$1,000+ in summer travel (and beyond)
Perhaps the best way to leverage extra expenses is by earning rewards you can put toward future travel. You won’t be saving on holiday expenses today, but you can unlock much more savings in the future. The best way to do this is by earning a big, limited-time bonus of transferable travel rewards.
If your card offers the option to transfer points to multiple airlines or hotels, it’s possible to multiply the value you receive. Instead of having your rewards tied to a single program, you can take advantage of sweet spots across many loyalty programs. This approach also gives you access to a wider range of sales and other deals.
By earning a big bonus now, you’ll be set up to book summer or holiday travel for next year. Lots of premium cards have offers worth 100,000+ points or miles, including the following:
Earning a bigger bonus typically takes more spending, so leveraging holiday purchases can unlock rewards you may not normally have access to.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is a standout premium credit card with plenty of luxury perks and statement credits to justify its annual fee.
- Access over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide with a complimentary Priority PassTM Select membership, plus every Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club with two guests.
- Up to $300 in annual travel credit each account anniversary year
- You can transfer rewards to all of Chase’s travel partners including World of Hyatt, Southwest Rapid Rewards and many more
- Top-tier travel and shopping protections
- High annual fee
- Requires a high credit score
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select’s editorial staff.
- Earn 125,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Get more than $2,700 in annual value with Sapphire Reserve.
- Earn 8x points on all purchases through Chase TravelSM, including The EditSM and 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct. Plus, earn 3x points on dining worldwide & 1x points on all other purchases
- $300 annual travel credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
- Access over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide with a complimentary Priority PassTM Select membership, plus every Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club with two guests. Plus, up to $120 towards Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck® every 4 years
- Get up to $150 in statement credits every six months for a maximum of $300 annually for dining at restaurants that are part of Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Coverage, Lost Luggage Insurance, no foreign transaction fees, and more.
- Get complimentary Apple TV+, the exclusive streaming home of Apple Originals. Plus Apple Music — all the music you love, across all your devices. Subscriptions run through 6/22/27 — a value of $250 annually
- Member FDIC
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each balance transfer, whichever is greater
The Citi Strata Elite℠ Card aims to brings premium restaurant rewards and travel benefits to users, including an annual hotel benefit of $300.
- High rewards rate on travel
- 6X on restaurants
- Can transfer points to American Airlines at a 1:1 rate
- Up to $200 annual splurge credit
- High annual fee
- Limited rewards categories
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select’s editorial staff.
- For a limited time, earn 100,000 bonus Points after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
- Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com and 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com
- Earn 6 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants including Restaurant Delivery Services on CitiNights℠ purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET. Earn 3 Points per $1 spent any other time
- Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases
- Up to $300 Annual Hotel Benefit: Each calendar year, enjoy up to $300 off a hotel stay of two nights or more when booked through cititravel.com.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
Balance transfer fee
Balance transfer fee applies with this offer 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.
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