7 Big Bonuses On Cards with Under $100 in Annual Fees

Getting a new credit card is all about timing: Do it right and you’ll end up with a big stash of points and miles once you meet your new card’s minimum spending requirement. Getting a big bonus often means you’re also going to be on the hook for a high annual fee … but not always.

Right now, there are multiple cards offering huge, limited-time bonuses while still charging under $100 a year in annual fees.

While a big pool of points can take the sting out of a high annual fee in year one, that cost gets harder and harder to justify as time goes on – and that’s what makes these specific card offers so special. You don’t have to compromise and earn fewer points just to avoid a high fee. While all the cards on this list have annual fees that clock in under $100 each year, some of them are even fee-free.

Here’s a look at the current best offers on credit cards with fees under $100 each year.

Looking for a new card? Check out our monthly list of all the best new card offers! 

Get 75K Capital One Miles & a $250 Travel Credit With the Venture Card

The *venture x* gets all the attention these days, but the original *capital one venture card* still finds a home in many traveler’s wallets – and for good reason.

With this card, you’ll earn the same 75,000-mile welcome bonus as the pricier Venture X after spending $4,000 in the first three months … but it gets even better. As part of the card’s new, limited-time offer, you’ll also get a one-time $250 Capital One Travel credit.

Considering you can use Capital One miles cover nearly any travel purchase at a rate of 1 cent per mile, this bonus offer is easily worth $1,000 towards travel … if not much more. 

You’ll also earn identical rewards on your everyday purchases: Unlimited 2x miles per dollar, everywhere. Add in up to $100 in credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck and two annual passes to the growing list of Capital One Lounges (a benefit that disappears at the end of the year) and it’s easy to see why this card is so popular.

Full Benefits of the Capital One Venture Rewards Card

• Welcome Bonus: bonus_miles_full
• Earn 2x miles per dollar on every purchase. There is no cap to the number of miles you can earn each year.
• Earn 5x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
• Up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck
• Two free annual passes to visit the new Capital One Lounges through 2024
• Fly on any airline or stay in any hotel with no blackout dates
• Capital One Venture Miles never expire
• The card does not charge foreign transaction fees
• $95 Annual Fee

Related reading: Earn a Big Bonus & More Perks With the Capital One Venture Card

Learn more about the *capital one venture card*

Earn 60K Ultimate Rewards With the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

We’ve long considered the *csp* to be one of the best travel rewards credit cards for beginners and experienced travelers alike. Some things never change. 

While we’ve seen bigger offers in the past, this one is still great: bonus_miles_full You’ll come out way ahead on the card’s low $95 annual fee.

Other benefits like travel and rental car insurance, trip delay and cancelation protection, and an annual $50 hotel credit make the Sapphire Preferred a mainstay in many traveler’s wallets.

Above all, it’s the perfect card to start earning points to travel even more for less. Whether you’re planning your next trip or looking further out, we don’t think you can do better than the Chase Sapphire Preferred if you’re looking for a travel card with a low annual fee.

Full Benefits of the Chase Sapphire Preferred

• Welcome Offer Bonus: bonus_miles_full
• 3x points per dollar spent on dining, including eligible delivery services
• 3x points per dollar spent on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs like Costco and Sam’s Club)
• 3x points per dollar spent on select streaming services
• 2x points per dollar spent on travel purchases
• Earn 5x total points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, excluding hotel purchases that qualify for the $50 Anniversary Hotel Credit.
• Earn up to $50 in statement credits each year for hotel stays booked through Chase Travel℠
• 10% Annual Points Bonus: Receive a 10% points bonus on your total spending during the account anniversary year at a rate of 1 point for every $10 spent.
• Trip Cancelation & Trip Interruption Coverage
• Baggage Delay and Lost Luggage Coverage
• Rental Car Insurance Coverage
• Recommended Credit Score: Excellent/Good
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None
• Annual Fee: $95

Read more: A Full Review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred

Learn more about the *csp*

Get a 120K Bonus With the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

If you have a small business (and trust us, you might be eligible for a small business card and not know it), you won’t find a better welcome bonus at a lower price point right now than the current offer on the *chase ink preferred*.

With a limited-time 120,000-point bonus for new cardmembers who spend $8,000 in the first three months, this is one of the best offers we’ve ever seen. And not just for this card, but any travel rewards card, period. 

Beyond a stellar welcome bonus, the Ink Business Preferred is one of the best business cards out there. It offers a solid ongoing return on spending and strong travel benefits for small business owners. Best of all, the card has a low annual fee of just $95, making it worth a spot in your wallet for the long run.

Full Benefits of the Chase Ink Business Preferred Card

• Welcome Offer Bonus: bonus_miles_full 
• Earn 3x Chase Ultimate Rewards for every dollar spent on travel, shipping, phone, internet, cable, and online advertising with social media sites and search engines, up to $150,000 in combined purchases per year.
• Earn 1x Chase Ultimate Rewards for every dollar spent on all other purchases.
• Earn 5x Chase Ultimate Rewards for every dollar spent on Lyft purchases through March 2025. 
• Travel Protections: With the card’s trip cancellation and interruption insurance, you can be reimbursed up to $5,000 per person (or $10,000 total per trip) for pre-paid non refundable travel expenses if your trip is canceled or cut short due to a covered event.
• Rental Car Insurance: Get primary rental car coverage when you’re renting for business purposes and pay for your rental with the Chase Ink Preferred.
• Purchase Protection: Cover your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account.
• Cell Phone Insurance: Get up to $1,000 per claim in cell phone protection against covered theft or damage for you and your employees listed on your monthly cell phone bill when you pay for it with your Chase Ink Business Preferred credit card.
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None
• Annual Fee: $95

Read our review of the Chase Ink Business Preferred Card!

Learn More about the *chase ink preferred*

Earn an Extra 1.5% With the Chase Freedom Unlimited®

What’s better than having a card with an annual fee under $100 each year? Not paying one at all.

The Chase Freedom Unlimited currently earns a base 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 1.5% on all other purchases. This deal is made even sweeter with the recent offer.

Chase is out with a special new offer on its popular *freedom unlimited*. bonus_miles_full

The cash back your Freedom Unlimited card earns is doled out in the form of Chase Ultimate Rewards, which you can redeem for cash back, gift cards, or even for flights and hotels booked through Chase.

If you’ve also got another Chase card that earns Ultimate Rewards like the *chase sapphire preferred* or the *chase sapphire reserve* in your wallet, you can combine points between cards and transfer those points to airline and hotel partners to book travel.

Full Benefits of the Chase Freedom Unlimited Card

• Welcome Offer Bonus: bonus_miles_full
  
• Earn 6.5% cashback on travel booked through Chase Travel℠
• Earn 6.5% cashback on Lyft rides through March 2025.
• Earn 4.5% cashback on dining, including takeout and delivery services
• Earn 4.5% cashback at drugstores
• Earn unlimited 3% cashback on all other purchases
• Subject to the Chase 5/24 rule, so you won’t get approved for the Chase Freedom Unlimited if you’ve opened five or more credit cards (from any bank, not just Chase) in the last 24 months.
• No Annual Fee

Read more: A Full Review of the Chase Freedom Unlimited

Learn more about the *freedom unlimited*.

Up to 70K American Miles With the AAdvantage Aviator Red

There’s no easier way to earn a huge welcome bonus than with the AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®. Forget spending a few thousand dollars: You can get a big bonus with a quick purchase (or two).

Here’s how the bonus works:

• You’ll get 60,000 AAdvantage miles after making your first purchase within 90 days and paying the card’s $99 annual fee in full
• You can get an additional 10,000 AAdvantage miles for adding an authorized user and having them make a purchase within 90 days

If you’ve got a good use for AA miles – and trust us, there are plenty – don’t let this offer pass you by.

Full Benefits of the AAdvantage Aviator Mastercard

• Welcome Offer: Earn 60,000 AAdvantage miles after making your first purchase within 90 days and paying the card’s $99 annual fee in full. You can earn an additional 10,000 AAdvantage miles for adding an authorized user and having them make a purchase within 90 days
• Earn 2x AAdvantage miles for every dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases.
• Earn 1x AAdvantage miles for all other eligible purchases.
• First checked bag free for the primary cardmember and up to four companions on eligible bags when traveling on domestic itineraries operated by American Airlines.
• Preferred boarding for the primary card member and up to four companions booked on the same reservation for all American Airlines-operated flights.
• Starting in year two, you can earn a $99 companion certificate once you’ve spent $20,000 in a calendar year and keep your account open for at least 45 days after your card renewal date
• Onboard Wi-Fi credit: Pay for inflight Wi-Fi with the Aviator Mastercard and get up to $25 back in statement credits each year.
• Save 25% on in-flight food and beverage purchases (savings are in the form of statement credits).
• No foreign transaction fees.
• Annual fee: $99.

Apply Here (for full disclosure, this is not an affiliate link).

Earn Up to 75K Ultimate Rewards With the Chase Ink Cards

Yes, these are business cards but hear me out: You might have what the banks consider a small business and not even know it!

If you’ve got a side hustle, do consulting work, or even buy and sell items on Facebook Marketplace or eBay, you have a business and could qualify for these cards.

With the current offers, you can earn up $750 cash back (or 75,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points) with both cards. But exactly how the bonus works will depend on which version of the card you choose.

• With the *chase ink cash*, it’s broken up into two tiers. You can earn $350 (or 35,000 points) after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months and an additional $400 (or 40,000 points) after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months after account opening.
  
• With the *chase ink unlimited* you can earn $750 (or 75,000 points) after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

While these cards technically earn cash back, you can turn that into valuable Chase Ultimate Rewards points so long as you hold another Chase card that earns them, including the *chase sapphire preferred*, the *chase sapphire reserve*, or even the *chase ink preferred*.

So long as you can responsibly meet either card’s $6,000 spending requirement,you won’t find a better or cheaper way to earn a big bonus. With one of those other Ultimate Rewards cards in tow, you can redeem those 75,000 points for more than $900 in travel booked through Chase Travel℠ – or potentially much more by using Chase’s transfer partners like Hyatt, United, Southwest Airlines, and more.

Not sure which card is best for you? Read our side-by-side comparison for more info! 

Full Benefits of the Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

• Welcome Offer: *Ink Unlimited Bonus*
• Earn unlimited 1.5x points (1.5% cash back) on all business purchases
• Earn 5x points (5% cash back) on Lyft rides through March 2025.
• Primary rental car collision and damage waiver coverage
• Lost luggage insurance of up to $3,000 per person per trip
• Foreign Transaction Fee: 3% of the amount of each transaction in U.S. dollars
• Annual Fee: None

Learn more about the *chase ink unlimited*.

Full Benefits of the Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card

• Welcome Offer: *ink cash bonus*
• 10% Relationship Bonus: Chase Ink Cash cards opened between March 17 and Nov. 17, 2024, can get a 10% bonus on all rewards earned in the first year (sign-up and referral bonus points are ineligible). In order to be eligible for the one-time bonus you also need to have a Chase Business Checking account open on your cardmember anniversary date.
• 5x points (5% cash back) on office supply purchases; internet, phone and cable service charges (up to $25,000 in combined spending each account anniversary year).
• 2x points (2% cash back) at restaurants and gas stations (up to $25,000 in combined spending each account anniversary year).
• 1x points (1% cash back) on all other eligible spending
• Primary rental car collision and damage waiver coverage
• Lost luggage insurance of up to $3,000 per person per trip
• Foreign Transaction Fee: 3% of the amount of each transaction in U.S. dollars
• Annual Fee: None

Learn more about the *Ink Cash*.

Bottom Line

It doesn’t have to be either a big bonus or a low (or no) annual fee. With any of these cards, you get the best of both worlds by earning a meaningful amount of points or miles upon completing the new card’s minimum spending requirement and you’re not on the hook for an exorbitant annual fee.

Some of these offers are only around for a limited time, while others are mainstays. If one of these cards (and its big bonus) is the right fit for you, don’t delay!