Need points for spring break and summer travel next year? Sign up for a new credit card now

1 month ago 20

Spring, Easter and summer are on the horizon, and you know what that means: Now's the perfect time to start racking up points for travel. Wait, what?

That's right — at TPG, we believe it's never too early to start earning. If you can earn travel rewards now, you can start making your spring, Easter and summer bookings early, taking advantage of more hotel and airline availability and cheaper rates all around. That means you'll have more money to spend for the rest of the year because you've already made all your big travel plans months in advance.

Here's our step-by-step guide to earning rewards early — meaning right now — to enjoy a low-stress and savings-filled spring, Easter or summer travel season.

Cash in on timely welcome offers

First, applying for the best welcome offers on new cards right now will give you plenty of time to meet their minimum spending requirements.

Most cards have a three- to six-month window on their welcome offers and can require thousands of dollars in spending. Don't put yourself behind the eight ball by getting a card in the fall — take advantage now.

For example, if you apply for a card now and get it by Nov. 1, 2024, you'll have until the end of January 2025 to take advantage of a typical three-month welcome offer. Then, you can receive your points by the end of February 2025, with time to book spring, Easter and summer travel while it's still cheap and plentiful.

Best welcome offers right now

If you're wondering which card to get, here are just a few of our favorite welcome offers available right now.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

The very popular Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is offering an elevated welcome offer of 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, you'll get up to $300 in Chase Travel℠ statement credits in the first year of account opening for any purchases made via Chase Travel. That's worth up to $1,530, according to TPG's October 2024 valuations. You can read more about the card in our card review.

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

Both the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card are offering matching sign-up bonuses of 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. These offers are worth $1,388, according to TPG's October 2024 valuations. To learn more about these cards, check out our card review of the Venture Rewards credit card and our card review of the Venture X Rewards credit card.

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American Express Gold Card

We'd be remiss if we didn't mention the American Express® Gold Card, which has an elevated welcome offer of 60,000 points after you spend $6,000 in the first six months of card membership. New cardholders also receive 20% back in statement credits on restaurant purchases (up to $100) in the first six months of card membership. This offer ends Nov. 6. You may also be able to get a higher bonus of up to 90,000 points through the CardMatch tool (terms apply). That's worth up to $1,300, according to TPG's October 2024 valuations.

The Amex Gold is a heavy hitter in the world of points and miles, with valuable earnings rates on dining at restaurants and groceries at U.S. supermarkets. It earns 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants (on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar) and 4 points per dollar spent on up to $25,000 in purchases at U.S. supermarkets per calendar year (then 1 point per dollar). While you are working your way toward the welcome offer, you will be maximizing your earnings on food and groceries to go toward your spring and summer travel plans. Plus, the card has over $400 in dining-related credits that foodies will enjoy. The card comes with a $325 annual fee (see rates and fees). Read more in our card review.

Use card perks for fall and winter travel

It's not just about welcome offers, though. You can utilize your new card's bonus-earning categories to earn more points to put toward your spring, Easter and summer travel plans. In the meantime, you can also use your new card and its perks to enjoy all your fall and winter holiday travel.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® offers up to $300 in travel credits annually, reimbursement for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck and a Priority Pass membership.

There's also the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, which provides lounge benefits extended to authorized users and two guests, access to top-tier Hertz President's Circle status and a $300 annual credit for travel booked through the Capital One Travel portal.

Upon enrollment, accessible through the Capital One website or mobile app, eligible cardholders will remain at upgraded status level through Dec. 31, 2024. Please note, enrolling through the normal Hertz Gold Plus Rewards enrollment process (e.g., at hertz.com) will not automatically detect a cardholder as being eligible for the program, and cardholders will not be automatically upgraded to the applicable status tier. Additional terms apply.

Any or all of these cards should ensure that your next trip is cushier, even before you factor in the welcome offers involved.

Book spring and summer plans early

As mentioned, you'll want to get a new card sooner rather than later to ensure you can book your spring, Easter and summer trips with as little money and as much flexibility as possible. Booking earlier means more available flights and hotel rooms — at cheaper rates.

Booking summer travel in January or February is much cheaper than waiting until April (or even May). Every day counts, so you'll want to stay ahead of the curve.

Bottom line

The early bird gets the worm. But seriously — now's the time to start saving on your next big spring, Easter or summer trip.

If you can get approved for a new card now, you can capitalize on a lucrative welcome offer and book your next trip sooner rather than later. You'll take care of two tasks at once: You'll enjoy your new card's perks during the fall and winter holiday seasons and save a ton of money during the spring, Easter and summer seasons.

Then, you can start thinking about how to do it all again next year.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.

For rates and fees of the Amex Gold Card, click here

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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