Top Credit Card Deals
The following credit cards have special deals or a little something extra they provide the consumer. How does an additional $100 or $200 statement credit in your pocket sound? How about 50,000 more bonus points right off the bat? Many of the credit cards here give out cash bonuses in the form of statement credits or extra reward points for new customers. Some may have outstanding introductory terms that are available for an extended period. These credit cards stand out for going above and beyond what the card industry usually offers. Take note that these cards are made available to customers with good to excellent credit. Many of the cards here are presented as purely LIMITED TIME OFFERS for first time customers. Regular variants of these cards exist in our other categories, but this is the place to go if you are looking for one time only, short term card deals that will give you that extra oomph.
Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express
This popular card provides Starpoints bonus points -- 10,000 on your first purchase, then 15,000 later on, as well as ongoing rewards. Use the card to snag you a 6 night stay at a top hotel.
| Intro APR | Intro Period | Regular APR | Annual Fee | Balance Transfers | Credit Needed |
| None | N/A | 15.24% - 19.24% Variable | $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $65 | Yes | Excellent |
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
This card gives you the opportunity to earn $100 in cash when you spend one grand on the first 3 months as a card member, along with a generous $25 per card referral.
| Intro APR | Intro Period | Regular APR | Annual Fee | Balance Transfers | Credit Needed |
| 0% | 12 Months on Purchases | 12.99% - 21.99% Variable | $0 | Yes | Excellent |
American Express® Premier Rewards Gold Card
This card gives you Membership Rewards points, which can add up to several hundred dollars worth of gift cards. The bonus rewards available through this card may change (through various promotions).
| Intro APR | Intro Period | Regular APR | Annual Fee | Balance Transfers | Credit Needed |
| None | N/A | N/A [You must pay your balance in full each month] | Introductory annual fee of $0 for the first year, then $175 | N/A | Excellent |
Deal or No Deal? How To Shop For A Credit Card
The credit card industry appears to be picking up strength in recent months, as evidenced by better and more attractive deals you'll find from banks and card issuers. If you do some comparison shopping across card issuers, you'll be happy to note that many credit cards now come with cash back bonuses, sign up bonuses and a whole lot of rewards points for new customers. These attractive deals and "extras" are what distinguish the credit cards we have listed on this page from the other cards we have on other lists. These deals are made immediately available upon first time use of a card, or after a customer fulfills some simple spending requirements.
What you'll find here are a great set of cards from well-known issuers that have some of the most favorable incentives around. Some of the bonuses are only available for a short period of time, while others may hang around for longer. The common thread though, is that these benefits are typically terminated or changed after a certain length of time. So it makes sense to monitor these offerings to see if a card you've got your eye on comes along with a particularly sweet offer at some point.
The types of incentives that are commonly found are as follows:
- High cash back rewards that typically range from $100 to $500.
- Gift card rewards from $100 to $500.
- High bonus point rewards of 10,000 points or more (often 20,000 to 30,000 on average).
- Longer introductory periods for 0% interest rates. This is less common.
- Cards with no balance transfer fees. This is less common.
- Freebies that come with sign ups (e.g. third party partnership certificates and coupons).
These are valuable extras you can receive by simply doing a little more research on your card of choice. Note that these benefits change a lot and will often be suddenly pulled from the line up. In some cases, the offer may come back within a year, such as in the case of "Back To School" promotions, holiday deals and promos for other seasonal events and periods. Of course, don't base your decisions purely on such transient features of these cards, but rather, on other qualities, features and characteristics of the card. While it's true that there is hardly any feature of a card that can be considered permanent, the card company won't usually tinker heavily with the brand, flavor or type of a card once it's released.
Thus, it is important to keep in mind that when choosing a credit card, it's best to select one with your eye on the long term benefits of the card. The deals you'll find may motivate you to consider a particular card, but make sure that its terms and features are in line with how you typically use your card or how you spend, in order to make the card worth owning.
Here are a couple of tips to keep in mind when applying for a card with associated deals:
- Choose a card with favorable interest rates if you know that you'll be keeping a balance. Your need for rewards should be secondary if you maintain a balance.
- Select a credit card with maximum rewards if you pay your balance in full at all times. You won't care for a 0% intro rate if you never have a balance anyway.
- Determine if you're better off using a general rewards card rather than a specialty card, based on your card usage patterns.
The bottom line is this: you should make your credit card selection based on your expected long term use of your card. Consider a card's special deals and one time features (such as cash back bonuses) to be icing on the cake when you are shopping for a new card.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Great list! I’d love to have a credit card with a substantial cash back bonus. I’m also aiming to pay my debts after 6 months.
WOW! Those are great deals that any credit card can offer. Nowadays, the trend is changing and credit cards are becoming more consumer friendly. Because of this, now we have a wide range of products to choose from, thanks to what credit card companies are coming up with.
People can reduce their credit card debt by watching out for special terms and benefits that some cards have available. Some are worthy of your attention and some aren’t. If you snag a great deal on a card, you may have a chance to pay less interest.
@J.R.,
Absolutely. If you’re going to shop for a card anyway, it’s wise to spend the time to find one that may cost you the least amount down the road. Going after great promotional deals can help you reduce the amount you’re paying in credit card interest. Some cards with 18 to 21 month promotional balance transfer offers can potentially help you escape high interest rates on an existing balance. So if you play your cards right (pun intended), you could get out of debt more quickly than you anticipated.