Best credit card bonuses and deals this week: February 1, 2021

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After a relatively quiet January on the credit card front, things have picked up rapidly again with a slew of elevated welcome offers and new pandemic-friendly perks on numerous cards. 

In the past week, we’ve seen bigger welcome offers (including statement credits) on three Amex Hilton cards, a grocery credit for new Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card applicants, and an elevated bonus on The World Of Hyatt Credit Card.

American Express has also continued its trend of adding generous new benefits in light of COVID-19 — this time, eligible co-branded Delta, Hilton, and Marriott cardholders can activate monthly dining and wireless statement credits and opportunities to earn bonus miles and points for their spending.

If you’re trying to decide on which credit cards are best for you, your spending and travel habits are a big consideration. However, an elevated welcome bonus can certainly make your decision a bit easier. Some, like the sky-high offers on the Southwest personal cards, will disappear very soon —  be sure to apply by February 8, 2021, to earn the highest bonuses ever offered on the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card, Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card, and Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card.

Don’t forget about ongoing limited-time offers that aren’t expiring yet. American Express is still going strong with impressive offers on The Platinum Card® from American Express, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, and the American Express® Gold Card. Plus, Chase still hasn’t given an end date for the Chase Ink Business card bonuses, which are worth a look if you’re a small-business owner who prefers no-annual-fee cards.

This week is your last chance to apply for the elevated welcome bonuses on the Chase Southwest personal cards — you’ve only got until February 8, 2021, to take advantage of these record-high offers:

Read more details on these offers below:

Chase Southwest personal cards: Earn up to 80,000 Rapid Rewards points

You’ve got less than a week to apply for the huge offers on the Southwest Rapid Rewards personal cards, which are all offering up to 80,000 points (50,000 points after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months ,and an additional 30,000 points after you spend $10,000 on purchases in the first 9 months). Because Southwest points are, on average, worth 1.5 cents each toward airfare, the bonus is worth about $1,200 in flights.

These are the highest bonuses ever offered on the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card, Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card, and the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card. Because Southwest points don’t expire, this is a terrific opportunity to stock up on Rapid Rewards points — and save them for when you’re ready to travel again. 

The timing of these elevated Southwest card bonuses is perfect if you have your eye on earning the Southwest Companion Pass this year. Between the bonus and points from meeting the minimum spending requirement, you’ll earn at least 90,000 points — and that’s almost enough to unlock the Companion Pass in 2021.

Normally, you’d need to earn 125,000 qualifying points in a calendar year to earn the Companion Pass, but Southwest has effectively reduced that requirement to 100,000 points in 2021 by adding 25,000 qualifying points to Rapid Rewards accounts that were open as of December 31, 2020. 

Best new credit card offers and deals

Amex Delta, Hilton, and Marriott co-branded card statement credits and bonus points

If you have certain American Express Delta SkyMiles, Hilton Honors, or Marriott Bonvoy credit cards that were open as of January 1, 2021, you should see Amex Offers in your account to earn monthly statement credits toward US dining purchases (personal cards) or US wireless purchases (small-business cards).

The amount of the credit varies by card, with premium cards getting the most value and those with lower annual fees receiving less. Eligible personal cards for dining credits (including take-out and delivery) include:

Cardholders with the following small-business cards can also activate credits toward their US wireless bill, and the amount again varies depending on the annual fee:

You can also earn 5x miles on Delta purchases with eligible Delta cards, and qualifying Hilton and Marriott cardholders should see Amex Offers to earn bonus points for meeting spending thresholds. 

New increased welcome offers: Sapphire Preferred, Hilton, and Hyatt cards

Last week saw improved bonuses on several credit cards, including more points and new statement credits. None of these new offers have been assigned an end date as yet:

Read more details on these offers below:

Chase Sapphire Preferred card: Earn 60,000 points plus up to $50 in grocery credits

Chase has sweetened the offer on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card by adding up to $50 in statement credits toward grocery store purchases in the first year of account opening. That’s on top of earning 60,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of opening your account, and effectively offsets more than half the card’s $95 annual fee.

Only new applicants qualify for up to $50 in grocery store credits, but all Chase Sapphire cardholders can still earn bonus points on groceries, on up to $1,000 in spending per month, through April 30, 2021.

Amex Hilton cards: Earn up to 150,000 points and a $150 statement credit

Three American Express Hilton Honors credit cards have gotten a welcome bonus boost, including new statement credits after you make your first purchase. 

• Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card: Earn 150,000 points after you spend at least $2,000 on eligible purchases in your first 3 months of account opening, plus a $150 statement credit after your first purchase in the first three months of account opening.
• Hilton Honors American Express Card: Earn 100,000 points after you spend at least $1,000 on eligible purchases in your first 3 months of account opening, plus a $100 statement credit after your first purchase in the first three months.
• The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card: Earn a $150 statement credit after your first purchase on the Hilton Honors Card within your first 3 months, plus 150,000 points after you spend at least $2,000 in your first 3 months of account opening. 

These are some of the highest bonus-points offers we’ve seen on these Amex Hilton cards, and the statement credits make these deals even more compelling. Because Amex limits cardholders to earning one welcome bonus per card, per lifetime, it’s best to apply when the offers are higher than usual.

The World of Hyatt Credit Card: Earn up to 60,000 points

We haven’t seen changes to The World Of Hyatt Credit Card in a long time, so this new bonus to earn up to 60,000 Hyatt points could be welcome news — if you’re a big spender.

You’ll earn 30,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening, and up to 30,000 more points by earning 2 points total per dollar on purchases that normally earn 1x points, on up to $15,000 in the first six months of account opening. The previous offer was for up to 50,000 points but the spending requirement was much lower. 

There’s also a new promotion for all The World Of Hyatt Credit Card holders in the month of February to earn up to 5,000 Hyatt points after you register by February 28. You’ll earn bonus points for making a certain number of eligible transactions (which must be at least 1 dollar), as follows:

• 10 transactions = 1,000 bonus points
• 25 transactions = 2,500 bonus points
• 50 or more transactions = 5,000 bonus points

These cards have improved welcome offers for a limited time, but we don’t yet know when they’ll end:

Read more details on these offers below:

Amex Business Platinum card: Earn 85,000 Membership Rewards points

The newest offer on the Amex Business Platinum Card is especially appealing to small-business owners who spend a lot in common categories.

In addition to a welcome bonus of 85,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases within your first 3 months of account opening, you can earn 5x points on eligible US purchases on shipping, wireless telephone services, advertising in select media, office supplies, and gas stations in the first three months of account opening, up to 80,000 bonus points per category.

The card also comes with a ton of valuable benefits, including up to $200 per calendar year in Dell credits, up to $200 per calendar year in airline incidental fee credits, and a 35{d54a1665abf9e9c0a672e4d38f9dfbddcef0b06673b320158dd31c640423e2e5} rebate when you redeem Amex Membership Rewards points for flights on your selected airline (or any business- or first-class ticket) through the Amex Travel Portal.

Many Amex Business Platinum Card perks can also be found on the personal Platinum Card. If you’re not sure which card is right for you, have a look at our comparison of the Amex Platinum and Business Platinum for a full breakdown.

Amex Platinum card: Earn 75,000 Membership Rewards points

The elevated welcome offer on The Platinum Card® from American Express is still active, but it won’t be around forever.  In addition to the welcome bonus of 75,000 points after you spend at least $5,000 in your first 6 months of account opening, new cardholders can earn 10 points per dollar spent at US gas stations and US supermarkets, on up to $15,000 in combined spending (then 1x) in the first six months of account opening.

Even if you’re not traveling right now, the Amex Platinum 75k bonus is worth considering: Between up to $200 in Uber credits (including Uber Eats) and up to $100 in Saks credits each calendar year, plus the ability to use Membership Rewards points for a wide variety of redemptions (including many that don’t involve travel), it’s easy to get a ton of value from Platinum Card. 

New for 2021, cardholders will also receive up to $30 per month in statement credits for PayPal purchases. Lots of popular retailers and services accept PayPal, so this is an incredibly easy way to get even more value from the card.

Chase Ink Business Unlimited and Ink Business Cash: Earn $750 cash back

The Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card and Ink Business Cash® Credit Card increased welcome offers to earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $7,500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening are still active this week.

Small-business owners who want to earn lots of rewards in the new year can benefit from these all-time-high offers. Keep in mind the Chase Ultimate Rewards points you’ll earn from these cards aren’t just good for cash back — you’ve got options to redeem for travel, and even more flexibility (like transferring to Chase airline and hotel partners) if you also have the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, or Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card in your wallet.

American Express Gold Card: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points

The increased welcome offer on the American Express® Gold Card has stuck around for a while, and it’s still worth a  look, especially since one of its key benefits recently reset at the start of the new year.

Along with 60,000 points after you spend at least $4,000 in your first 6 months of account opening, the American Express® Gold Card earns 4x Membership Rewards points on up to $25,000 spent at US supermarkets each calendar year (then 1x). This perk alone puts the card high on our list of top credit cards for buying groceries.

It’s also a good credit card for dining because it earns 4x points at restaurants worldwide (including takeout and delivery) with no cap. 

Jasmin Baron is an associate editor at Personal Finance Insider, where she helps readers maximize rewards and find the best credit cards to fit their lifestyles.