Throughout the years, I’ve opened travel credit cards that have offered lucrative welcome bonuses that I eventually redeemed for dream-worthy vacations. I’ve been able to fly worldwide with transferable credit card points using my Chase Sapphire Reserve and The Platinum Card® from American Express. (Hello, summer in Italy.)
Several Chase and Amex cards are currently offering valuable welcome bonuses. Note that to be approved for a Chase card, you are subject to the 5/24 rule, which means you cannot have opened five or more personal cards across any banks in the previous 24 months.
Since I haven’t opened a new card in almost two years, I have been patiently waiting to find the right offer. Three welcome offers have caught my eye this month — but are any of these cards worth the annual fee? Keep reading to find out which card(s) I’m applying for.
Should I apply for the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card?
Though I travel frequently, I am not loyal to one particular hotel brand. Some TPG staffers are keen on using hotel cobranded credit cards to obtain status perks such as late checkout, complimentary breakfast and free room upgrades. For me, I just try to find the best award redemptions by using transferable points with travel rewards credit cards.
I do not have a hotel credit card in my arsenal and didn’t plan to sign up for one in 2024, but Marriott’s best-ever welcome offer on the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card may be too good to pass up.
With this card, which only has a $95 annual fee, I can earn five free night awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months of opening the account. That’s 250,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, which TPG values at up to $2,100.
While I don’t necessarily value hotel status enough to chase it year after year, this card would give me automatic Silver Elite status. This would be a nice perk if I didn’t already have Gold Elite status through my Amex Platinum.
Since Marriott has an international portfolio, there are endless possibilities for where I can redeem my five free night awards. However, Marriott’s awards expire one year from when they were issued, and I don’t have a specific redemption in mind.
While the Marriott Boundless card offers an attractive welcome bonus and a low annual fee, the expiration on the award nights has me questioning if I will maximize this perk before losing the certificates. Therefore, I will hold off on signing up for the Bonvoy Boundless card until my travel plans align with potentially redeeming free night awards.
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Related: Marriott 50K free night certificate: 6 best hotels in the world to use your award redemption
Should I switch up my Delta Amex card?
Currently, I hold the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card. As a somewhat frequent Delta Air Lines flyer, I signed up for this card to enjoy benefits such as the 15% award discount for Delta-operated flights, one free checked bag (for me and up to eight companions) and priority boarding. But is this card no longer worth it due to its increased annual fee?
Delta announced major changes to its personal and business SkyMiles cards in early February 2024. The annual fee for the Delta Amex Gold (see rates and fees) increased from $99 to $150 (the introductory annual fee is still $0 for the first year).
Luckily, with a $51 increase, Delta added a few additional perks to the card to make the new annual fee more digestible. Now, I can enjoy up to a $100 annual Delta Stays credit and receive a $200 Delta flight credit (previously $100) after spending $10,000 in purchases in a calendar year.
Looking at the new card enhancements, I do not spend $10,000 annually on this card, so I definitely won’t benefit from that perk. The Delta Stays credit is more intriguing and one that I will use to maximize my card and justify the increased annual fee. But should I upgrade this card?
While the new additional credits on the mid-tier Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card — such as an annual one for Delta Stays worth up to $150, another for Resy worth up to $120 annually (up to $10 per month) and one for ride-hailing services worth up to $120 annually (up to $10 per month); enrollment required — are enticing, the $350 annual fee (previously $250; see rates and fees) is not worth it to me. I’m not trying to earn elite status with Delta in 2024, so I don’t care about earning additional Medallion Qualification Dollars with the airline. I also don’t believe I will maximize the Resy and ride-hailing credits each month.
Additionally, since I already have the Delta Amex Gold, upgrading to the Delta Amex Platinum will not award me the lucrative welcome offer the card is currently offering. Therefore, I will just stick with the Delta Amex Gold.
Related: New Delta credit card welcome offers: Earn up to 110,000 bonus SkyMiles
Should I open a Southwest credit card?
It’s not unusual to open an airline cobranded credit card if you’re a frequent flyer with one specific airline looking to earn redeemable points and miles or help fast-track your way to that airline’s elite status.
While Southwest is not known for its elite status perks, it offers a very cost-effective Companion Pass. This perk essentially gives the flyer and one guest a buy one, get one free deal on flights (not including taxes and fees).
Therefore, even infrequent Southwest flyers like myself can’t help but seriously consider the current Southwest welcome offers.
The three personal credit cards are offering a Companion Pass (valid through Feb. 28, 2025), plus 30,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points after spending $4,000 in the first three months from account opening. These offers end March 11.
Typically, you must fly 100 qualifying one-way flights or earn 135,000 qualifying points in a calendar year to snag the coveted Companion Pass.
Honestly, I usually fly whatever airline is offering me the best cash or award redemption deal. However, earning a Companion Pass would definitely make me fly Southwest more often. With the Companion Pass, I can only designate one person; luckily, I can change my designated companion up to three times per calendar year.
My usual travel partner (my boyfriend) and I can split the cost of a plane ticket and only pay the additional taxes and fees on the other ticket. Therefore, I’m considering signing up for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card, which only has a $69 annual fee (the least expensive of the three personal cards) and offers two Southwest EarlyBird check-ins and 3,000 points every card anniversary.
Since I live in Florida, I can usually find one-way flights from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) to Cancun International Airport (CUN) for less than 10,000 Rapid Rewards points. Therefore, with the current welcome offer, I could essentially pay just the taxes and fees for me and my boyfriend to fly round trip to Mexico.
With its low annual fee and the ability to earn the Companion Pass for an entire year, I plan to sign up for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card.
Related: How to quickly earn the Southwest Companion Pass
Bottom line
Though several credit cards are running extremely valuable (and tempting) welcome offers right now, I must consider my interests (and spending habits) and how I will justify adding another card to my portfolio.
While it may be enticing to sign up for both a Southwest card and the Marriott Boundless, I would need to spend at least $10,000 in just three months ($5,000 on each card) to meet the welcome offer thresholds, which I don’t foresee myself doing.
I think that the Companion Pass is more valuable for me, especially since I love traveling home for the holidays with my partner, and flights can easily cost triple their usual price. Therefore, signing up for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card is worth it — at least in my eyes.
Related: How to choose the best credit card for you
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles Gold, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles Platinum, click here.
