Advertiser Disclosure: UponArriving has partnered with affiliate partners and may receive a commission from card issuers. UponArriving does not display all credit card offers and affiliate relationships may impact how offers are presented.
Disclosure: Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
Hotels and airlines are starting the new year with increased welcome bonuses for their credit cards. Earlier in the year we saw IHG offer a 175,000 points bonus for the IHG Rewards Premier card. Now it’s Marriott, Hilton and Southwest offering new and improved welcome bonuses.
Earn Companion Pass with One Southwest Credit Card
Southwest Airlines and Chase have launched three identical offers on consumer credit cards. This offer gives you the option to easily earn the Southwest Companion Pass with just one credit card. Plus you also get a points bonus.
The Companion Pass remains one of the best deals in travel as you can bring along a companion for free and you just need to pay taxes and fees.
With the new offer you can earn the Companion Pass through 2/28/24 plus 30,000 points after you spend $4,000 or more on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. This is one of the best offers when it comes to earning the Companion Pass with minimal effort.
The offer is available on these three cards:
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card ($69 annual fee)
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card ($99 annual fee)
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card ($149 annual fee)
Al three offers are available through March 13, 2023.
You can choose just one of these three cards to earn the 30,000 point and the Companion Pass. If you fly Southwest often and you care about status and upgrades, then the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority card is your best option. If you just want the points and the Companion Pass, then you can go for the cheapest option: the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus card.
This is a great offer for people who regularly earn Southwest points or who have Chase Ultimate Rewards that they can transfer to Southwest.
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
Marriott and Chase have launched a new offer for the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card.
You can now earn a bonus of 100,000 Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases with your new card within the first 3 months from account opening. This is a limited time offer that will be available until April 6.
This bonus does not provide the best total value compared to previous offers, but it can be a nice boost to your Marriott Bonvoy account.
The card itself comes with some good perks for those that stay at Marriott properties often with the annual free night (valid for a redemption up to 35,000 points) being one of the main perks.
You can earn up to 17X total points at Marriott hotels, one Elite Night Credit toward Elite Status for every $5,000 spent, Silver Elite Status, 15 Elite Night Credits toward next level of Elite Status, and Gold Elite Status when you spend $35,000 per calendar year.
Tip: Get the business version of the Marriott card along with this version and start every year with 30 elite nights!
The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
Hilton and American Express have launched one of the highest ever points offers for the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card.
If you apply and are approved for the card, you can now earn 165,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $5,000 or more in purchases within your first 3 months of account opening. This is a limited time offer that will be available through April 5.
American Express makes it easy to know if you are eligible for a welcome bonus. If you are not eligible, a pop-up will tell you so before you proceed with the application. So there’s no risk of an unnecessary hard pull on your credit report.
The card comes with some useful benefits such as 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio worldwide and 6X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on U.S. gas stations, wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service producers and U.S. purchases for shipping 6X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on U.S. restaurants, flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com, and car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies.
You get complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status with the option to earn Diamond status after spending $40,000 in a calendar year. You also get One Free Night Reward after spending $15,000 in purchases on the Card in a calendar year and second Free Night Reward after spending $60,000 in purchases. The second free night might not be worth it, but for the first free night you would have to spend just $10,000 more after completing the welcome bonus requirement.
For frequent fliers the card has 10 free Priority Pass Lounge passes to make the airport experience more enjoyable. Enrollment required. The annual fee is $95 (rates & fees).
Advertiser Disclosure: UponArriving has partnered with affiliate partners and may receive a commission from card issuers. UponArriving does not display all credit card offers and affiliate relationships may impact how offers are presented.
Editorial Disclosure: Opinions, reviews, analysis & recommendations are UponArriving’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Amex Disclosure: Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
