The Best Credit Card Sign Up Bonuses With Under $1000 Spending Requirement

We all love a great sign-up bonus and credit card benefits, but we all know some of the bigger bonuses do come with a big spending requirement. It’s not uncommon for a 50,000 point bonus to require $5000 of spending or upwards and, usually, the credit cards with under $1000 in spending requirements give us much lower bonuses.

However, there are a few exceptions. I went through the better offers available right and singled out the cards where the value of the sign-up bonus is high despite a small spending requirement. Each of the cards mentioned below immediately provides a value of at least $500 and the spending requirement to get that bonus value is $1000 or under. So for those that are not big spenders, these offers can be a great way to stretch your spending into some nice rewards and plan some nice trips. Some of these are limited time and will be disappearing soon and some have been around a while, but either way, these would be the cards I’d consider to see if these miles and points work for you.

US Airways

Application Link: US Airways Premier World MasterCard

Sign-up bonus:

• 40,000 US Airways miles immediately after first purchase and payment of the $89 annual fee.
• A Companion Certificate to bring two additional passengers for $99 each on US Airways 

This card is the quickest and easiest way to rack up 40,000 US Airways miles quickly. I personally have two of these cards and most of my family and friends have already signed up. The US Airways credit card will no longer be available to new applicants at some point in either 2014 or early 2015 once US Airways and American Airlines merge. Those who get in on the offer will be converted to American Airlines credit cards issued by Barclays bank and the miles will become American Airlines miles.The benefits will be changing once the card converts to an American Airlines credit card, but for now the card offers free checked bags and 5000 miles off award tickets booked on US Airways flights.

I really like (and have written many posts about) US Airways miles due to their amazing flexibility in routing rules and ability to combine many oneworld partners to create a single trip. On any round-trip award to a different region, you can include a completely free stopover without paying any extra miles and where that stopover is is extremely flexible. That means you can stopover in any city along the way when you visit the Caribbean. You can also stopover in Europe for a week or a month on a trip to Asia, being able to visit two continents on a single award itinerary. I was also able to use the Companion Ticket when I visited Vancouver a few years ago, saving me $600 on the flight.

Additional reading:

• Using the US Airways Companion Certificate to Fly Two Additional Passengers for $99 Each!
• What Will Happen to US Airways Miles and Credit Card with the Merger?
• How to Fly to Easter Island with US Airways Miles
• A Round-Trip to the Caribbean Plus a Free One-Way from 30,000 US Airways Miles Total
• Visiting the Caribbean with a Free Stopover with US Airways Dividend Miles

 

 

Chase Hyatt Visa

Application Link: Chase Hyatt Credit Card

Sign up bonus: Two free award nights in any participating Hyatt worldwide after spending $1,000 within 3 months

The annual fee of $75 is waived the first year. Every year, you also get a certificate good for a free award night at any Category 1-4 Hyatt property. Although Hyatt has seven categories, there is definitely some good value at Category 4 such as the Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort.  Holders of the card receive Hyatt Platinum status, which offers complimentary internet, preferred rooms and late checkout when available.

In the past year, I’ve started at a few excellent Hyatt properties and here are some of my trip reports:

• Park Hyatt Milan
  
• Andaz Maui at Wailea
  
• Grand Hyatt Kauai
  
• Park Hyatt Vienna.

I still have a trip to the Palacio Duhau Park Hyatt Buenos Aires coming up in December.

Chase IHG Rewards Club

Application Link: There are two. The Chase IHG Rewards Club public link offers 60,000 IHG Rewards Club points after spending $1000 after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening. There is also a Flyertalk thread discussion how to receive an 80,000 point signup bonus instead.

Sign-up bonus: 60,000 or 80,000 IHG Rewards Club points after spending $1000 within 3 months. Annual fee of $49 waived the first year.

IHG Rewards Club properties range from 10,000 points per night at the lower end to 50,000 points per night at the InterContinental Paris – Le Grand or  the InterContinental London Park Lane, which can cost over $500 a night easily. Besides its usual award chart, IHG Rewards Club has a Points Breaks list every few months where hotels on the list can be booked for just 5000 points a night during the promotional period. One of the better benefits of the card, however, is the annual free night with no Category restriction once you pay the $49 annual fee. That is, every year, you can redeem your certificate for a free night at one of the high end Intercontinental properties around the world.