Many credit card companies offer great sign-up bonuses that almost anyone can use to their advantage. Here are a few offers that can put money in your pocket. Just be sure to pay your card off every month to avoid fees!
Anyone can sign up! Some of these cards are business cards, but anyone can sign up for a business credit card by signing up as a sole proprietorship without filling out any additional forms. Just use your social security number as your business ID.
$100 from American Express (w/ points trade in)
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Card currently offers 10,000 Membership Rewards® bonus points when you spend $500 in 3 months. The 10,000 Membership Rewards® bonus points can then be redeemed for a $100 gift card or other great rewards.
$50 Cash and Gift Cards
$50 Cash Bonus:
The Discover More Card offers $50 cash back after spending $599 in the first three billing cycles. It also offers 5-20% cash back on select online purchases, and unlimited 1% cash back on everything else. You can also double cash rewards with over 100 online partners. There is no annual fee for this card.
$50 Cash Bonus:
The Chase Freedom(SM) Card offers $50 Cash Back after your first purchase, 1% Cash Back on every purchase, up to 3% Cash Back on rotating categories such as gas, home improvement stores, groceries, etc., and a 0% introductory balance transfer offer. There is no annual fee for this card.
$50 Gift Card:
American Express Preferred Rewards Green Card. The AmEx Preferred Rewards Green Card offers 5,000 Membership Rewards® Bonus Points When You Spend $500 in 3 Months – Redeemable for a $50 gift card. Earn 1 Membership Rewards® Point for Virtually Every Dollar You Spend and Double Points at Supermarkets, Gas Stations, Drugstores, and More! Fee is waived for the first year.
$25 Sign up bonus from American Express
$25 Statement Credit:
The TrueEarnings Card from Costco and American Express offers 3% cash back for gas purchases, 3% for restaurants, 2% for travel purchases, and 1% everything else, including Costco. There is also a $25 Statement Credit with Your First Purchase with the card. The TrueEarnings Card Serves as Both Your American Express Credit Card and Your Costco Membership Card.
Airline Miles and More
Bonus Miles:
Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express. Earn 20,000 Bonus SkyMiles® (Including 5,000 Medallion Qualification Miles) After First Purchase and Another 2,500 for Adding an Additional Cardmember. Earn One Companion Coach Class Ticket Each Year Upon Renewal.
Discover Card Miles. Earn 12,000 Bonus Miles after first purchase, no travel restrictions, no annual fees.
A Few Notes:
Avoid Annual Fees! You’ll notice that several of these cards state the first year’s fees are waived. You can take advantage of these referral bonuses by signing up, making a purchase to get your reward, and canceling the card before you pay any fees! (generally there are no fees for the first year; just don’t forget to cancel!)
Earn additional bonus points. This works for American Express, but it may not work for all credit card companies. You can have all your bonus points directed to one account. I have an American Express Business Gold Rewards Card. The only other American Express card I have is my corporate card from my day job. Your mileage may vary, but when I contacted American Express, the CSR offered to direct any points earned from that card to my American Express business card, free of charge! Sign me up! (no word on whether or not my company has a problem with that… Hmmm, I better ask!).
My personal experiences with these cards: I currently use the Chase Freedom Credit Card for my personal needs, because it offers great cash back benefits (Chase Freedom Card review). For my small business I have an American Express Business Gold Rewards Card and a Discover Business Card, both of which meet my needs perfectly.
Note: These offers were current at the time of publication, and they are updated frequently. However, many of these are limited time offers and are subject to change. So act quickly!
{ 4 comments }
Nice ideas — but every time you apply for a card there’s an impact on the credit rating, no?
hcb, Great question. Yes, there can be an impact on your credit score from applying to too many credit cards. However, it is not usually permanent if you manage your card well and do not run up a lot of revolving debt. If you are not planning on applying for a major loan anytime soon, then applying for one, or a couple of these cards won’t be a problem. If you are planning on applying for a major loan soon (mortgage, auto loan, etc.) then you might want to wait.
I also wouldn’t recommend applying for all of these cards. I would start with the one that works best for your situation, then maybe add another if you want another bonus. Be sure to only apply for what you believe is best for your situation!
can not link your corporate card to your own personal MR program. you are only an authorized user on the corporate card, and even if your employer gave you authorization to redeem corporate rewards, you won’t be able to link both MR programs. don’t know how they actually did that for you. my only assumption is that your employer never enrolled in the MR program to begin with and when you called, they enrolled the card and linked it to your personal gold card. I however find it hard to beleive that a corporation would actually pass on enrolling in the coolest feature of the card.
Marwan, they offered to do it, but I actually didn’t take them up on the offer. I rarely use my Corporate card, so I wouldn’t get many points, but I’m also not sure how my company would respond to it. I’m only reporting what the customer service rep told me. It does seem strange that they would allow that! As for my company passing on the coolest feature on the card… I’ll leave that one alone!
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