Top 10 Travel Rewards Credit Card Offers for March

If you’re looking to travel this year but want to do it using free points and free air miles, you need to be aware of the new credit card offers for March. This month’s best offerings were compiled by The Points Guy, a website devoted to smart travel with an emphasis on airlines and frequent flyer programs. Happy travels!

1. Ink Business Preferred Card from Chase

Current Bonus: Earn 80,000 bonus points after spending $5000 on purchases in the first 3 months after opening an account.

Points Benefits:

• 3 points per dollar on the first $150,000 spent on travel, shipping, social media advertising, and internet/cable/phone services
• 1 point per dollar on all other purchases

Perks:

• Primary auto rental insurance
• Primary cell phone insurance when you use the card to pay your phone bill
• No foreign transaction fees
• Employee cards at no additional cost

Annual Fee: $95, waived for the first year if you apply at a Chase branch

2. The Business Platinum Card from American Express OPEN

Current Bonus: Earn up to 75,000 membership rewards points—depending on how much you spend—in the first 3 months after opening an account.

Points Benefits:

• 5 points per dollar on airfare and prepaid hotels booked through Amextravel.com (as of March 30, 2017)
• 2 points per dollar on other eligible purchases from Amextravel.com
• 1.5 points per dollar on purchases of $5000 or more
• 1 point per dollar on other purchases

Perks:

• Transfer membership rewards points to 20 airline and hotel partners or redeem directly for airfare and get a 50% points rebate when booking first or business class on any airline available through American Express travel, or any fare class on the airline of your choice
• Access to Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass Lounges (with 2 guests), and Delta Sky Clubs (when flying Delta)
• $200 annual airline fee rebate
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application rebate

Annual Fee: $450

3. Chase Sapphire Preferred

Current Bonus: Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $4000 on purchases in the first 3 months after opening an account. Earn another 5000 bonus points by adding an authorized user to your account.

Points Benefits:

• 2 points per dollar on travel and dining at restaurants
• 1 point per dollar on all other purchases worldwide

Perks:

• Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred to 11 travel partners, including British Airways, Hyatt, Marriott, Southwest, and United, among others
• Primary auto rental insurance
• Trip cancellation coverage
• Waived foreign transaction fees

Annual Fee: $0 for the first year, then $95

4. Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express and the Starwood Preferred Guest Business Credit Card from American Express

Current Bonus: Earn up to 35,000 bonus Starpoints—depending on the amount you spend—within the first 3 to 6 months of opening an account.

Point Benefits:

• 2 Starpoints per dollar on purchases at participating Starwood (and now Marriott) hotels
• 1 Starpoint per dollar on all other purchases

Perks:

• 2 stays and 5 nights of credit toward Starpoint Guest elite status each year
• Automatic Gold status when you spend $30,000 on the card in a calendar year
• No foreign transaction fees
• Complimentary unlimited Boingo Wi-Fi on up to 4 devices at once
• Complimentary premium in-room internet access
• Free access to Sheraton Clubs with business card when you book rates that are eligible to earn Starpoints; also comes with OPEN program perks and discounts

Annual Fee: $0 the first year, then $95

5. The Business Gold Rewards Card from American Express OPEN

Current Bonus: Earn 50,000 membership rewards points after you spend $5000 on purchases in the first 3 months after opening an account.

Points Benefits:

• 3 points per dollar on a category of your choice from a list of 5 options
• 2 points per dollar on the 4 remaining categories
• Up to $100,000 in purchases in each of the 5 categories per year
• After $100,000, earn 1 point per dollar on all purchases

Perks:

• No foreign transaction fees

Annual Fee: $0 the first year, then $175

6. United MileagePlus Explorer Card and the United MileagePlus Explorer Business Card

Current Bonus: Earn 50,000 miles after you spend $3000 in the first 3 months of opening an account. Earn another 5000 bonus miles by adding an authorized user to your personal card.

Benefits:

• 2 miles per dollar on United purchases
• 1 mile per dollar on everything else

Perks:

• Priority boarding and a free checked bag for you and one companion on United flights
• Enhanced award availability
• 2 United Club one-time passes per member year

Annual Fee: $95, waived the first year for the business card

7. Citi Hilton Honors Visa Signature Card

Current Bonus: Earn 75,000 Hilton Honors points after making $2000 in purchases in the first 3 months of opening an account.

Points Benefits:

• 6 points per dollar at Hilton hotels
• 3 points per dollar at supermarkets, drugstores, and gas stations
• 2 points per dollar on all other purchases
• 10,000 Hilton Honors points at the end of each calendar year in which you spend $1000 or more in Hilton stays

Perks:

• Hilton Silver status while you are a card member
• Hilton Gold status after booking 4 stays within 90 days of opening your account or after spending $20,000 in a calendar year

Annual Fee: $0

8. Citi Prestige Card

Current Bonus: Earn 40,000 Citi ThankYou points when you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months of opening an account. You may be eligible to receive 50,000 points after $5,000 in spending in the first 3 months if you use this link.

Points Benefits:

• 3 ThankYou points per dollar on air travel and hotels
• 2 points per dollar on dining out and entertainment
• 1 point per dollar on everything else

Perks:

• 4th free night at hotels when you book through Citi’s concierge service
• Redeem points for air travel on any airline at a rate of 1.33 cents each (1.6 cents each on American Airlines until July 23, 2017), then at 1.25 cents each therafter
• Transfer points to 14 different travel partners, including Air France/KLM Flying Blue, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, and Hilton Honors
• $250 air travel credit per calendar year
• Priority Pass Select lounge access

Annual Fee: $450

9. The Platinum Card from American Express and The Platinum Card from American Express Exclusively for Mercedes-Benz

Current Bonus: Earn 40,000 membership rewards points after spending $3000 in the first 3 months of opening a Platinum account or 50,000 membership rewards points after spending $3000 in the first 3 months with the Mercedes Benz version.

Points Benefits:

• 5 points per dollar on airfare
• 5 points per dollar on prepaid hotels purchased at Amex Travel

Perks:

• $200 annual airline rebate
• $200 annual Uber rebate
• Access to Delta Sky Clubs (when flying Delta), Priority Pass lounges, and Amex Centurion Lounges
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application rebate
• Transfer membership rewards points you earn to 20 airline and hotel partners

Annual Fee: $450 for the regular Platinum card, $475 for the Mercedes Benz Platinum card (both are increasing to $550 on March 30)

10. Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite MasterCard

Current Bonus: Earn 50,000 bonus miles when you spend $3000 or more in the first 90 days of opening an account, which can be redeemed for a $500 travel statement credit.

Points Benefits:

• 2 miles per dollar on all purchases
• Get 5% of your miles back when you redeem for travel statement credits

Perks:

• No foreign transaction fees

Annual Fee: $0 the first year, then $89