I created this website to explain to my friends and family how my wife and I have been able to travel the world for free. The “secret” has been using various credit card mega bonuses (often non-publicized), layering additional offers and some other tricks that I will show you. Below are some of my favorite offers or delve deeper by reading my Points Blog.
Before applying, make sure to check your credit. You can get two of your three FICO scores for free at Credit Karma and Credit Sesame.
| Card Name | Upfront Bonuses | Spending Benefits | Other Key Benefits | Annual Fee | Issuer's Highlights | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Business Gold Rewards Card® from American Express OPEN | 50k points after spending $5k in 3 mos. | 1 point /$ 3x on air 2x on advertising, gas, and shipping | N/A | $0 1st Yr., then $175 |
|
 | Chase Hyatt Card | 2 free nights at ANY Hyatt hotel worldwide after 1st purchase + 1 more (cat <=4) each year | 1 points/$ 2x for restaurants, airfare (direct) and car rentals 3x at Hyatts |
| $75 | Not Provided by Issuer |
 | Citi® Hilton HHonors™ Reserve Card | 2 weekend nights after spending $2.5k in 4 mos. + 1 more/yr after spending $10k | 3 points / $ 5x on airfare and car rentals 10x at Hiltons |
| $95 |
|
 | Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express | 25k points (~2 nights in lux hotel): 10k after 1st purchase + 15k after $5k in 6 mos. | 1 (valuable) point / $ |
| $0 1st Yr., then $65 |
|
 | Southwest Airlines® Rapid Rewards® Plus Card (Chase) | 50k points (worth $800 in restricted economy flights) after spending $2k in 3 mos + 3k/anniversary | 1 point /$ 2x on Southwest |
| $69 | Not Provided by Issuer |
 | 40k points = UA, BA, SW, Amtrak,etc. or $400 Cash after spending $3k in 3 mos. | 1 point/$ 2x for Travel (Good) and Dining (not impressive) |
| $0 1st Yr., then $95 | ||
 | 50k points after spending $5k in 3 mos = UA, BA, SW, Amtrak,etc. or $500 Cash or $625 toward travel | 1 point/$ 5x for telecom and office supply(up to $50k) |
| $0 1st Yr., then $95 | ||
 | Priority Club® Select Visa® (Chase) | 60k-80k points on first purchase + free night on your anniversary | 1 point /$ 2x on gas, grocery & dining 5x at their hotels |
| $0 1st Yr., then $49 | Not Provided by Issuer |
 | Hawaiian Airlines® Visa Signature® (BofA & Bank of HI) | 25k miles after spending $1k in 4 mos. | Most people focus on getting this card for the bonus |
| $79 | Not Provided by Issuer |
| Card Name | Upfront Bonuses | Spending Benefits | Other Key Benefits | Annual Fee | Issuer's Highlights | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express | 25k points (~2 nights in lux hotel): 10k after 1st purchase + 15k after $5k in 6 mos. | 1 (valuable) point / $ |
| $0 1st Yr., then $65 |
|
 | Capital One® Venture℠ Rewards Credit Card | 10k points after spending $1k | 2 Points / $ (basically 2% Cash) |
| $0 1st Yr., then $59 |
|
 | Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express | $150 after spending $1k in 3 mos. | 1% cash 6% at supermarkets (up to $6k spend) 3% at stand alone gas stations and some department stores |
| $75 |
|
 | $20 after spending $3k in 3 mos. | 1% cash 2% on gas & dine 5% on off. supply, cable, telecom (2/5% - max $25k) |
| $0 | ||
| Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express | $100 after spending $1k in 3 mos. | 1% cash 3% at supermarkets (up to $6k spend) 2% at stand alone gas stations and some department stores |
| $0 |
|
 | $100 after spending $500 | 1% Cash 5% (up to $75) of rotating categories |
| $0 |
| Card Name | Upfront Bonuses | Spending Benefits | Other Key Benefits | Annual Fee | Issuer's Highlights | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Platinum Card® from American Express | 25k points after spending $2k (personal card only); See this page for up to date info on the Biz version | 1 point / $ |
| $450 |
|
| Chase Hyatt Card | 2 free nights at ANY Hyatt hotel worldwide after 1st purchase + 1 more (cat <=4) each year | 1 points/$ 2x for restaurants, airfare (direct) and car rentals 3x at Hyatts |
| $75 | Not Provided by Issuer |
| Citi® Hilton HHonors™ Reserve Card | 2 weekend nights after spending $2.5k in 4 mos. + 1 more/yr after spending $10k | 3 points / $ 5x on airfare and car rentals 10x at Hiltons |
| $95 |
|
| Priority Club® Select Visa® (Chase) | 60k-80k points on first purchase + free night on your anniversary | 1 point /$ 2x on gas, grocery & dining 5x at their hotels |
| $0 1st Yr., then $49 | Not Provided by Issuer |
 | United MileagePlus Explorer Card (Chase) | 25k miles after 1st purch. + 5k for add. cardholder + 10k/yr after $25k | 1 point /$ 2x on United |
| $0 1st Yr., then $95 | Not Provided by Issuer |
 | Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express | 30k miles after spending $500 in 3 mos (most of my readers would be better off holding out for more) | 1 point /$ 2x on Delta |
| $0 1st Yr., then $95 |
|
 | Marriott Rewards® Premier Credit Card | 50k points after 1st purchase (note: certain versions of the card have better deals), free night @ approval(<=cat 4), free night @renewal (<=cat 5) | 1 point /$ 2x for airfare, dining and car rental 5x for Marriott |
| $0 1st Yr., then $85 | Not Provided by Issuer |
If you apply for a card with good credit and you don’t get instant approval, click here for a list of credit analysis and reconsiderations departments’ direct lines. They can often expedite an approval or fix a denial.
Unless otherwise stated, my advice is for people with good credit that are able to pay off their entire credit card balance each month. You also accept that my advice is provided as a courtesy and you agree to do your own research. Also, credit card bonus offers change rapidly — while I try to keep this site up to date, you must check the credit card company’s website for the latest rules before you apply. For a more complete introduction and details on how card applications can affect your credit score, click here.
See Glossary for definitions of the shorthand I use on the site.
