Best Credit Card Welcome Bonuses of May 2025
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Best Credit Card Welcome Bonuses of May 2025
This year, credit card companies are competing intensely for your business with incredible perks like easy-to-earn sign-up bonuses. That’s great news for all of us! But with so many bonus offers out there (often similar ones), it can be hard to choose the right card. Our experts have sorted through hundreds of credit cards and rated the ones below as our top picks with great sign-up bonuses:
Intro APR
Purchases: 0%, 15 months
Balance Transfers: 0%, 15 months
Regular APR
Rewards Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and more, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
Annual Fee
Welcome Offer INTRO OFFER: Unlimited Cashback Match for all new cardmembers–only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. You could turn $150 cash back into $300.
We think this card has among the highest cash back potential for cards with no annual fee. The key is the Unlimited Cashback Match — Discover automatically matches all the cash back new cardholders have earned at the end of the first year. That cash back can seriously add up when you earn 5% cash back on rotating bonus categories (when you activate them, up to the quarterly maximum) and 1% on other purchases.
Intro APR 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers
Purchases: 0% intro APR, 12 months from account opening
Balance Transfers: 0% intro APR, 12 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers
Regular APR
Rewards Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.
Annual Fee
Welcome Offer Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months.
This card’s unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases is the highest we’ve seen for a flat-rate rewards card with no annual fee. It also has an incredibly easy-to-earn $200 welcome bonus and a decent intro APR offer. We simply haven’t come across this combination of top perks in one card before.
On Bank of America's Secure Website.
On Bank of America's Secure Website.
Intro APR 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases. 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the intro APR offer ends, 18.24% - 28.24% Variable APR on purchases and balance transfers will apply. A 3% fee for 60 days from account opening, then 4% fee applies to all balance transfers. Balance transfers may not be used to pay any account provided by Bank of America.
Purchases: 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases
Balance Transfers: 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days
Regular APR
Rewards Earn unlimited 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases, with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees, and your points don't expire as long as your account remains open. Earn 3 points per $1 spent on travel purchases booked through the Bank of America Travel Center.
Annual Fee
Welcome Offer 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases
This is a good starter travel card thanks to its simplicity and no annual fee. It offers a strong welcome bonus worth $250, unlimited 1.5X points on all purchases, 3X points on travel booked through Bank of America, and no foreign transaction fee. Simply redeem points as a statement credit for travel or dining purchases. The generous Intro APR on purchases for 15 billing cycles might come in handy if you want to pay off an expensive trip over time without interest. It’s a particularly good fit for Bank of America Preferred Rewards members, who can earn 25%-75% more points on every purchase (depending on your tier).
Apply now for the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card
On Capital One's Secure Website.
On Capital One's Secure Website.
Intro APR
Purchases: 0% intro on purchases for 15 months
Balance Transfers: 0% intro on balance transfers for 15 months (Balance Transfer Fee Applies)
Regular APR
Rewards Earn unlimited 1.25X miles on every purchase, every day. Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options.
Annual Fee
Welcome Offer 20,000 Miles once you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
What really stands out is the incredibly easy-to-earn sign-up bonus. You can earn a 20,000-mile bonus (worth $200) after spending only $500 in your first 3 months (that's like earning 40x miles on that spend!). Redeem points by reimbursing yourself for travel expenses charged to your card, book through Capital One Travel, or transfer points to 15+ travel partners for potentially even greater value. If a straightforward travel rewards program, 0% Intro APR, & sign-up bonus with a low spending hurdle is most important to you, then this card is a very solid pick.
Intro APR N/A
Purchases: N/A
Balance Transfers: N/A
Regular APR
Rewards Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
Annual Fee
Welcome Offer Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
This card easily justifies the (very reasonable) annual fee with benefits that deliver real value. Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months, which we estimate is worth $750 in Chase Travel℠ value. Plus, enjoy bonus travel and dining rewards, a $50 annual hotel credit, and 25% more value when booking through Chase Travel. With added travel protections like rental car insurance and trip reimbursement, we think this card is a game-changer for any traveler.
We’ve seen a number of credit card companies lower the welcome offer on a card over time. So if you're interested in any of the cards here, we recommend applying today to make sure you lock in the huge sign-up bonuses currently offered. An application takes just a few minutes and in some cases you can get a decision in 30 seconds or less.
If so, you’re less likely to get approved for these cards — but visit this page for our top-rated options for getting out of debt and building your credit.
Our Credit Cards Experts
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*How to earn $1,306 with the Discover it® Cash Back: You can receive $600 cash back in the first year by maxing out 5% categories. You'll earn $300 in this case, plus $300 from Discover for your cash back match in the first year. You can also earn $706 cash back in the first year in 1% categories — The average American budget* would result in earning $353.45 cash back each year in 1% categories, and Discover will match this amount in the first year for a total amount of $706. This adds up to $1,306 earned in your first year.
*Average American budget per https://www.fool.com/the-ascent/research/average-monthly-expenses/. Includes the following categories earning 1% cash back: utilities and household operations, healthcare, apparel and services, education, vices, miscellaneous, personal care, reading, food, transportation, and entertainment.