Top 5 Current Travel Credit Card Offers

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.

In light of the news that the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard will be raising its sign-up bonus minimum spending requirement from $1,000 in 90 days to $3,000 in 90 days any time now, I know a lot of you are considering a round of applications to get in on some of the great deals out there at the moment while you still can.

When great credit card offers come along, you've got to hop on them fast since sign-up bonuses can change in an instant, and minimum spending requirements can as well, not to mention many of the other terms and conditions. The benefit of applying for more than one card in a single day is that the issuers generally won't see the applications to other issuers on that same day, increasing your chances of approvals and making it easier in the long run to track how long credit card inquiries remain on your credit report. This is by no means an exact science, and when there are great offers and you have great credit, you should apply for the cards that suit your needs.

With that in mind, here are the top 5 current credit card offers that I would suggest getting in on while they last. Before you get started, be sure to check out my posts on How To Check Your Credit – Preparing For The Credit Card Application Process, and When To Cancel A Card – My Personal Card Inventory and Decision Process.

1. Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard
Current Bonus: 50,000 miles with $5,000 spend in first 3 months
Benefits: Earn 2 AAdvantage miles per $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases, 1 mile per $1 on everything else. Admirals Club membership privileges; 10,000 elite miles when you spend $40,000 on eligible within a calendar year; your first eligible checked bag is free, priority boarding and 25% savings on eligible in-flight purchases; SmartChip technology; no foreign transaction fees.
Annual Fee: $450

2. Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard
Current Bonus: 40,000 miles with $3,000 spend in the first 90 days
Benefits: Earn 2 miles per dollar spent on all purchases and receive 5% of your miles back when you redeem on travel. No foreign transaction fees.
Annual Fee: $89 waived the first year

For more information on this card, read my review here, and then check out this post for details on its Travel Bonus Category and Redemption Options, and this one for ideas on the Top 10 Ways To Maximize Barclaycard Arrival Miles.

3. Ink Plus Business Card
Current Bonus: 60,000 points with $5,000 spend in the first 3 months
Benefits: Earn 5 points per dollar at office supply stores, cellphone, landline, internet, and cable TV services and 2 points per dollar spent at gas stations and on hotel accommodations, up to $50,000 annually. Receive a complimentary LOUNGE CLUB membership and 2 free visits each year with access to over 350 VIP airport lounges.
Annual Fee: $95

For more information, see these posts:
Ranking the Chase Ultimate Rewards Transfer Partners
Top 10 Ways To Maximize Each Ultimate Rewards Transfer Partner
Why I Love Chase Ultimate Rewards
Ranking the Top Chase Travel Credit Card Offers

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4. Club Carlson Premier Rewards Visa Signature Card
Current Sign-up Bonus: 85,000 Gold Points, 50,000 of which will be earned after your first purchase, plus 35,000 more points once you spend $2,500 within the first 90 days.
Other Benefits: You will earn 10 points per dollar spent at participating Carlson Rezidor hotels and 5 points per dollar spent everywhere else. Club Carlson cards come with Gold status and a bonus award night.
Annual Fee: $75

For more background on the Club Carlson program, check out my Maximizing Club Carlson series, whose posts include Base Level Earning and Redemptions, Business Program, Elite Status and Cash + Points Redemptions, Half-Price Award Redemptions on two-night award stays if you have one of the Club Carlson credit cards.

5. The Platinum Card from American Express Exclusively for Mercedes-Benz
Current Bonus: 50,000 points when you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months
Other Benefits: You will earn 5 points per dollar spent on select Mercedes-Benz purchases and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases. You will receive a $1,000 certificate every year when you spend $5,000 or more on your card, which can be used on a future purchase or lease of a Mercedes-Benz vehicle. This card also comes with the same benefits as the Platinum Card from American Express such as a $200 annual airline fee rebate, lounge access and Global Entry application reimbursement.
Annual Fee: $475

And if you are applying for an Amex card, be sure to check the Card Match Tool since the site has a special partnership with American Express and often offers special targeted sign-up bonuses to consumers.

This is not a list of every offer on the market. For that I recommend going to the Top Deals page, and feel free to add your suggestions in the comments below.