Best Credit Card Sign-up Bonuses for 2024

Written by |
Advertisement

Team Clark spent hours reviewing the market for credit card sign-up bonuses and evaluated them according to the guidelines for usage set by money expert Clark Howard.

Clark believes credit cards with exorbitant annual fees are a bad idea for most consumers. So, for the purposes of these rankings, we eliminated from consideration any card with an annual fee of more than $100.

In addition to sign-up bonuses, we considered factors like rewards programs, introductory APR and bonus categories when assembling the list. You can read our methodology here.

Note: If you’re looking for something that surpasses these offers, Team Clark also has a list of credit card sign-up bonuses worth at least $500 from cards with higher annual fees.

This article was updated in January 2024 and I review it every three months. Detailed notes on all updates can be found here

Top Sign-Up Bonus Credit Cards Right Now


Sign-Up Bonus Selection Methodology

There are some caveats to shopping for cards with sign-up bonus offers. Here are four things to consider before picking your favorite from the list:

  1. I considered only those cards that carry an annual fee of $100 or less. While there are some great welcome offers for credit cards with annual fees that can be as high as $700, Clark believes most consumers are best served by avoiding large annual fees.
  2. I included both cash back and rewards points bonuses. Sometimes it can be confusing to find an actual value for rewards points because the cash-equivalent value of those points can fluctuate based on how you redeem them. In the case of rewards points bonuses, note that there sometimes is no cash value.
  3. You may get a welcome offer for a card that’s different from the offer listed in this article. Welcome offers can vary based on a number of factors, such as date and location. I checked these offers in various web browsers over multiple days to get the most recent and accurate information possible, but please note that your results may vary.
  4. Clark’s philosophy is that you should never carry a balance on a rewards credit card. All welcome offer advice issued here is given with the assumption that you’ll pay your bill in full each month as part of Clark’s seven rules for using credit cards.

Clark Howard on Sign-up Bonuses for Credit Cards

If you’re in the market for a new credit card in 2024, you may be hoping to cash in on the hundreds of dollars in sign-up bonuses offered to new customers.

Welcome offers are a marketing tool that credit card issuers use to lure new customers: They offer the chance to score extra rewards points or get cash back for a limited time. Some are easy to get if you spend a relatively small amount on your new card. Others offer a greater cash reward but may carry an annual fee and require that you spend heavily right away.

Money expert Clark Howard cautions against making a long-term decision for a short-term reward.

“I never want people to be so enamored with the sign-up bonus that they end up with a card that over time will ultimately under-reward,” Clark says. “The credit card issuers are making an assumption that you’re going to be really profitable over time for them. So often the bonus will be really generous, but the card itself will be pretty rotten.”

A welcome offer can be a great way to pocket a few hundred bucks during your honeymoon period with a new card. But it’s important to remember there are many other factors that determine whether a credit card is the right long-term fit for you. Clark believes you should focus on long-term factors: your APR, annual fees and rewards programs.

“If you’re the kind of person who will get hooked by a signing bonus but won’t do anything about switching credit cards later — you’ve got to make sure that moving forward the card is still a good deal for you,” Clark says.


card_name


card_name


card_name


card_name


Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card


Wells Fargo AutographSM Card


Discover it® Cash Back Credit Card


To see the rates and fees for the American Express cards featured, please visit the following links: Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express: See Rates and Fees.

Advertisement
Article Updates
  • January 2024: Updated bonus offer from Wells Fargo Autograph from 30,000 points on a $1,500 spend to 20,000 points on a $1,000 spend.
  • August 2023: Added “This Is the Card for You If” explanations to each capsule.
Advertisement
How many credit cards should I have? How Many Credit Cards Should I Have? - Are you worried that the number of credit cards you have could have a negative impact on your financial life? Is there a “right” number of credit cards for one person to have in 2024? The answer is a little…
Welcome bonuses can be a great way to boost the value of a credit card. Best Credit Card Sign-up Bonuses for 2024 - Team Clark spent hours reviewing the market for credit card sign-up bonuses and evaluated them according to the guidelines for usage set by money expert Clark Howard. Clark believes credit cards with exorbitant annual fees are a bad idea for most…