Credit Cards Featuring Cash Sign-Up Bonuses
Lately we’ve been scrounging around some of our favorite credit cards’ promotional pages looking for decent card offers featuring cash bonuses. Usually around the holiday season banks (and even credit unions) will toss in some cash bonuses as incentives for new customers to sing up for new accounts. This holiday season a few credit cards have caught our attention with $50 to $100 sign up bonuses. If you happen to be looking for a new credit card, then check out our favorite offers with cash bonuses below…
1) Discover More Card - $100 Bonus after first $500 in purchases. Although the bonus associated with this credit card doesn’t technically count as a “sign-up” bonus, we still thought it deserved to be at the number 1 spot as it’s cash incentive is one of the highest on the market AND it’s offering 5% cash back on purchases throughout the holiday season. This card also features a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 12 months as well as a 0% intro APR on purchases for the first 6 months.
2) Chase Freedom MasterCard - $100 Bonus after first $799 in purchases. This card is fairly similar to the Discover More card mentioned above, however, you’ll need to spend $299 more before snagging the $100 bonus. If you’re looking to do a little holiday shopping with this card, check out some of Chase’s retail partners online because you’ll be able to receive a whopping 20% cash back on “select merchant purchases” online!
3) Chase Freedom Visa Card – $50 Bonus after FIRST PURCHASE. This card is just like the Chase Freedom card (mentioned above) with the $100 bonus except you’ll incur this $50 bonus after the first purchase rather than after your first $799 in purchases. If you already know you’ll be spending over $800 on holiday purchases (or other necessary purchases) within the next 3 months then you may want to go with the offer above, h0wever, if you’re looking for a sign up bonus right off the bat then this offer is probably your best bet.
If you know of any other credit card offer with more lucrative bonuses, please share by leaving a comment!
November 19th, 2010 at 1:42 am
What if you just opened one of these cards, then make a large purchase like $500 or $799 then received the bonus and returned the item?
November 20th, 2010 at 4:06 am
Chase Freedom MasterCard – $100 Bonus after first $799 in purchases
November 21st, 2010 at 9:45 am
Are these holiday bonus offers or year around offers?
November 26th, 2010 at 9:24 am
Ive tried the bonus scam many a time, sometimes it works sometimes it doesn’t. If it doesn’t though your credit score could take a ding. Not worth it for a hundo IMO
November 26th, 2010 at 9:32 am
@ Tim – These are not necessarily holiday offers. Some have been around for quite a while. At any point in time during the year you can typically find a credit card offering some sort of sign up bonus, however the time frame and requirements of the bonus can vary a great deal. I would recommend finding a card that fits the category in which you need first and foremost (ie balance transfer, travel rewards, etc), then, if there happens to be a card in that particular category with a sign up bonus, great, but don’t just focus on the cash.
…and I wouldn’t recommend trying to game the bonus structure.
December 1st, 2010 at 4:22 pm
If you do it right you can get the bonus after you return the items, but you’ll still have the credit card so if you continue to use it the bank will get what they want anyway
December 2nd, 2010 at 4:56 am
Is it really worth it to get 50 or 100 bucks? you still have to wait 3 months
December 2nd, 2010 at 5:18 am
This always happens, one credit card comes out with a cash sign up bonus then ALL the other companies race to match it. Thats why you see similar terms and conditions for the cash bonus offered from different credit card companies.
December 2nd, 2010 at 1:12 pm
have fun trying to get one of these cards with less than great credit
December 2nd, 2010 at 2:00 pm
i used to have the discover more card and i got it with a avg credit score.
December 2nd, 2010 at 2:03 pm
Visit the individual credit card websites for credit score requirements. They aren’t all the same.