The Top Credit Card Spending Bonuses (updated April 23, 2014)

As discussed in a previous post, I was hoping to see more bonuses when credit card holders reach a minimum amount of spending in a calendar year. Giving bonuses for minimum spend requirements actually helps encourage customers to retain their credit cards for a longer period of time. I would think that it is more profitable for a credit card company to retain customers, rather than having them cancel their credit cards instead, especially with credit cards where only the first year annual fees are waived. So it would make sense to me that there should be incentives to help keep customers from one year to the next.

Below is a list of some of the top current credit card spending bonuses that offer some of the better incentives:

American Express Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card

• $120 annual fee
• Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all purchases
• Spend $30,000 in a calendar year and receive an automatic upgrade to Starwood Gold Preferred Guest membership
• Spend $40,000 in a calendar year and receive a Free Weekend Night Award

Capital One IHG Rewards Club World MasterCard

• $120 annual fee
• Earn 5 points for every $1 spent spent at any hotel within the IHG family of hotels
• Earn 2 points for every $1 spent on all other purchases
• Spend $10,000 and earn 5,000 bonus points (there’s no limit to the amount of points you can earn)

Capital One Delta SkyMiles World MasterCard

• $120 annual fee
• Earn 3 points for every $1 spent on Delta purchases
• Earn 2 points for every $1 on all other purchases
• Spend $25,000 in a membership year and earn 10,000 bonus points

Capital One IHG Rewards Club Platinum MasterCard

• No annual fee
• Earn 2 points for every $1 spent spent at any hotel within the IHG family of hotels
• Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases
• Spend $10,000 and earn 5,000 bonus points (there’s no limit to the amount of points you can earn)

MBNA Best Western Rewards Platinum Plus

• No annual fee
• Earn 1.5 point for every $1 spent on all purchases
• Spent $6,000 in a calendar year and receive a one tier elite status upgrade within the Best Western Rewards program

MBNA Choice Privileges Platinum Plus

• No annual fee
• Earn 15 points for every $1 spent on purchases at Choice Privileges locations in Canada, the U.S., Europe, Mexico, and Australasia
• Earn 2 points for every $1 spent on all other purchases
• Earn 2,000 Bonus Points every year on your account anniversary
• Spent $30,000 in a calendar year and earn 4,500 bonus points

I hope to see more from all the different credit card companies in the near future.