Credit Cards comes with a sign-up bonus, also known as a welcome bonus. The customers can avail the sign-up/ welcome bonus at the time of credit card activation in the form of reward points, cashback, air miles, etc. Below mentioned are the best credit cards offering sign-up/welcome bonus.
Credit Cards with the Best Sign-up/Welcome Bonus
| Card Name | Annual Fee | Benefits |
| American Express Platinum Reserve Card | Rs. 10,000 plus applicable taxes | Sign-up benefit of 11,000 bonus membership reward points |
| Air India SBI Signature Credit Card | Up to Rs. 4,999 | Get 20,000 reward points as a welcome gift on card activation |
| HDFC Bank Regalia Credit Card | Rs. 2500 | Get 2,500 reward points and welcome bonus |
| Rs. 2500 | Get up to 7,500 bonus JPMiles and one way Jet Airways ticket on successful sign-up | |
| Citi® PremierMiles Travel Credit Card | Rs. 3,000 | 10,000 miles on spending Rs. 1000 or more |
American Express® Platinum ReserveSM Credit Card
This card is best-suited for shopping and travel as it offers exclusive welcome benefits along with various vouchers, lounge access, and rewards. Access to premium golf courses and luxury hotels add to its advantages.
Features:
Sign-up Benefit- This credit card provides a sign-up benefit of 11,000 bonus membership reward points. One can avail this benefit only on making the due payment of joining fee and after swiping his/her card for the first time.
Bonus Vouchers- Enjoy movie or online shopping vouchers worth Rs. 6,000 per year.
Reward Points- Get 1 Membership Rewards Point. for every Rs. 50 spent on the Card. Points are not earned on fuel, utilities, insurance, and cash transactions.
Additional Benefits:
Golf Benefit- Get complimentary access to 14 top golf courses at key Indian cities using the Amex Card.
Dining Privileges- Enjoy additional dining privileges at partner restaurants and merchants in India and abroad.
Healthcare Benefits- Get access to unmatched healthcare benefits through Medical Concierge, Fortis Healthcare and Max Healthcare.
Other Benefits- This card also other benefits such as zero lost card liability, purchase protection, contactless payment, fuel convenience fee waiver, concierge and other services, etc.
Air India SBI Signature Credit Card
Air India SBI Signature credit card is ideally customized for frequent travellers in order to make their domestic and international journeys comfortable and economical. This card provides an exclusive welcome gift with various other benefits such as complimentary lounge access, reward points on air tickets, etc.
Features:
Welcome Gift- Get 20,000 reward points as a welcome gift on card activation
Complimentary Membership- Get complimentary membership to the Air India Frequent Flyer Program – Flying Returns
Reward Points- Earn 4 reward points on every Rs. 100 spent and up to 1,00,000 bonus reward points annually
Airport Lounge Access- Enjoy International Airport Luxury Lounge Access to over 600 airport lounges with complimentary Priority Pass Program and complimentary Visa Lounge Access Program in India at major domestic airports
Additional Benefits:
Lost Card Liability Cover- Enjoy complimentary lost card liability cover of Rs. 1 lakh
Fuel Surcharge Waiver- Get 1% fuel surcharge waiver with Air India SBI Signature Card, across all petrol pumps
Easy Bill Pay Facility- One can pay electricity, insurance, telephone, and other utility bills, with the easy bill pay facility on his/her card
HDFC Bank Regalia Credit Card
HDFC Bank Regalia Credit Card is well-suited to the premium lifestyle. The card offers welcome benefits with maximum luxury and travel benefits and also gives high reward points on every purchase.
Features:
Welcome Bonus – Get 2,500 reward points and welcome bonus
Airport Lounge Access – Enjoy access to 850+ airport lounges around the globe through Priority Pass Membership
Dining Benefits – Get up to 40% discount on fine dining including some 5-star restaurants
Reward Points – Earn 4 Reward Points for every Rs.150 spent. Value of 1 reward point = Rs. 0.75. Redeem your rewards against an exciting range of merchandise and gift vouchers
Additional Benefits:
Fuel Surcharge Waiver – Enjoy 0% surcharge on fuel purchases across all petrol pumps
Travel Concierge Assistance – Enrich your travel and hotel experience with travel concierge assistance
Lowest Foreign Currency Markup Fee – 2% on all foreign currency spends
50 Days of Interest-Free Credit – Pay only the minimum amount due and carry forward the balance amount to next month at an extremely low-interest charge
Jet Privilege HDFC Bank World
JetPrivilege HDFC Bank World Credit Card is designed for the frequent air traveller and it offers amazing welcome benefits. The card is brought out in association with JetPrivilege and aims to make travelling luxurious and convenient.
Features:
Welcome Gift – Get up to 7,500 bonus JPMiles and one way Jet Airways ticket (no base fare charged) on successful sign-up
Rewards – Get 6 JPMiles per Rs. 150 spent. Earn 3X bonus JPMiles are earned on flights booked through Jet Airways website
Lounge Access – Free domestic and international lounge access
Check-in Assistance – Dedicated check-in counter for cardholders with additional baggage allowance. Premier check-in for all domestic flights
Priority Pass Membership – Users get access to more than 600 lounges around the world
Additional Benefits:
Fuel Surcharge Waiver – Get fuel surcharge waiver on fuel spends up to Rs. 500
Citi® PremierMiles Credit Card
This card is suitable for frequent travellers. The card provides access to domestic and international airport lounges along with exclusive welcome benefit and deals on flight tickets, hotel bookings and car hire, which makes it an ideal travel credit card. Cardholders can accumulate air miles that can be redeemed to buy flight tickets.
Features:
Welcome Benefits – Spend Rs. 1,000 or more in the first 60 days of card activation and get 10,000 miles as a welcome gift
Air Mile Benefits – Get 10 air miles on every Rs. 100 spent on airline transactions made at Premier Miles official website. Redeem air miles against flight tickets, hotel bookings, taxi hire, and car rentals
Complimentary Air Travel – Get access to premium services of ‘Premier Miles’ offering complimentary air travel across the globe
Lounge Access – Access to domestic and international lounges at airports with light refreshments and business facilities
Frequent Flyer Program – Members of Frequent Flyer Program can earn 10 air miles for every Rs. 100 spent on Citi PremierMiles® Credit Card
Additional Benefits:
Dining Privileges – Enjoy up to 15% discount at select restaurants across the country
Insurance – Get complimentary air accident insurance coverage and lost card liability cover of Rs. 1 crore and Rs. 2 lakh respectively
What Makes a Great Sign-up/Welcome Bonus?
The factors determining a great sign-up/welcome bonus are as follows:
- Reasonable Spending Requirement: Customers must be able to meet the requirements for the bonus, which usually means spending a certain amount with the card
- Enough Time to Meet the Spend Requirement: Most card offers give 2-3 months to reach a spending requirement. It is important to keep a track of how much time one has, starting as soon as his/her card account was opened
- Good Return for Spending: The best welcome bonuses offer a high return on the required spend, like 20% or more. However, there are credit cards that offer smaller bonuses that can be valuable too because one still gets rewarded for spending a certain amount of money
- Other Benefits: Customers should also keep in mind the other benefits along with signup/welcome bonus that the credit card offers such as reward points, cashback, discounts, etc.
