Best Credit Card Offers For April 2021

Each month, I recap the best credit card offers currently available. There are a lot of credit cards out there offering generous signup bonuses. Some bonuses are better than others. Hopefully, this post will give you some ideas if you’re looking for your next credit card.

It’s important to note that this post is not intended to be an exhaustive list and there may be cards that I haven’t listed that are better for you. If you want personalized advice for your situation, consider filling out my free credit card consultation form and I’ll get back to you with specific advice for your situation.

Before you get started, be sure you understand the Chase 5/24 Rule. This is an important rule that will impact your long-term strategy when it comes to credit cards. Also, if you have a side hustle or anything that can qualify as a business, consider taking advantage of business credit cards. These are a great way to earn even more points and miles.

With all that said, here are the current best credit card offers for April 2021: 

Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Sapphire Reserve 

The Chase Sapphire Preferred and the Chase Sapphire Reserve are both offering high signup offers that make these cards my current top choice for most readers right now. Here are the current offers for each card: 

• Chase Sapphire Preferred: 80,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points after spending $4,000 in 3 months + $50 statement credit for grocery purchases.
• Chase Sapphire Reserve: 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points after spending $4,000 in 3 months.

If you’re interested in either of these cards, you’ll need to remember two rules. The first is the Chase 5/24 rule, which states that you are not eligible for a new Chase credit card if you’ve opened five (5) or more credit cards in the past 24 months from any bank. This only includes cards that appear on your personal credit report, so most business cards won’t count towards your 5/24 number. I have an in-depth post that explains how the Chase 5/24 Rule works that you can read here.

The second rule you need to know is the Chase One Sapphire Rule. Chase only allows you to earn the bonus on one Sapphire branded card every 48 months. Thus, if you’ve earned the bonus on either the Chase Sapphire Preferred or the Chase Sapphire Reserve in the last 48 months, you won’t be eligible for this bonus. 

I last earned my bonus on the Chase Sapphire Reserve back in June 2017, so I’ll be eligible for a new bonus for either of these cards starting in July 2021. That’s a bummer for me because if I could, I’d get one of these cards right now (I don’t know how long these offers will last, but I imagine they won’t be around by the time I’m eligible for them again).

Of these two options, I would recommend the Chase Sapphire Preferred. The 80,000 points are worth a minimum of $1,000 if redeemed in the Chase travel portal. Note that the card does come with a $95 annual fee that is not waived in the first year, but you can easily justify the annual fee solely with the signup bonus. After a year, you can upgrade your card to a Chase Sapphire Reserve, assuming you want the benefits that come with the Chase Sapphire Reserve.

American Express Platinum Card

There are currently two really good, all-time high offers on the American Express Platinum Card. The first is a targeted offer for 100,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $5,000 in 6 months. The second is a public offer for 75,000 Membership Rewards points plus up to $300 back on all restaurant spend in the first 12 months of card membership. Here are how the two offers break down.

The targeted offer for 100,000 Membership Rewards can be found on the American Express website using this link.

The second offer for 75,000 Membership Rewards points plus up to $300 back on restaurant spending is also very good and depending on your spending patterns and how you value Membership Rewards points, could be more valuable to you. The $300 back on restaurant spending is earned via 20% cashback on your restaurant spending in the first 12 months. So, if you spend $1,500 on restaurants in 12 months, you’ll get the full $300. This offer can be found via Resy, which is a restaurant reservation website that American Express acquired in 2019. You can get that offer here: https://resy.com/amex-offers (this is not an affiliate link).

Between the two offers, I tend to favor the 100,000 Membership Rewards points offer because I value 25,000 extra Membership Rewards more than the $300. That’s the offer I opted to get for me and my wife.

The American Express Platinum Card does come with a hefty $550 annual fee, but it also comes with a wide variety of statement credits that can offset some or all of the fee depending on how you value the credits. Here’s how the statement credits currently break down as of the time I write this: 

• $30 per month of PayPal credit from April-June 2021
• $400 in airline incidental credits ($200 in 2021, $200 in 2022)
• $200 in Uber and Uber Eats credits
• $150 in Saks Fifth Avenue credits ($50 in the first half of 2021, $50 in the second half of 2021, $50 in the first half of 2022)

That’s $880 in statement credits. Combined with the signup bonus, you’ll come out ahead in your first year with this card. Ideally, if this card makes sense for you, you’ll want to apply for it as soon as possible so you can take advantage of the $30 in Paypal credits that American Express is offering (these are two special credits that American Express gave this card for 2021 because of the pandemic).  

American Express Business Platinum 

The American Express Business Platinum card is currently offering 130,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $15,000 in three months. You can get this offer by using a referral link. Here’s my referral for the American Express Business Platinum Card (if you don’t see the 130,000 point offer, try opening the link in an incognito window).

This is a big offer but will also require a lot of spend, so if you’re thinking about getting this card, be sure to time it with any big purchases you may be making. Paying taxes, for example, is a simple way to hit these high minimum spend requirements. 

This card has a high annual fee, but it can be offset by the travel incidental credits ($200 per calendar year), the bi-yearly Dell credits ($100 for each half of the year), and the lounge access (access to Centurion Lounges, Delta lounges when flying Delta, etc).

American Express Gold Card 

The American Express Gold Card also has what is probably its best offer ever. You’ll get 60,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $4,000 in the first 6 months. Also, the card is offering up to $250 back on restaurant purchases in the first 12 months. Like the Platinum offer above, the $250 back is earned via 20% back on all restaurant purchases. So, if you spend $1,250, you’ll earn the full $250 back. 

The card has an annual fee of $250, which is fully offset out by the $250 statement credit on restaurant purchases. Also, the American Express Gold Card has a few other statement credits that make this card valuable. That includes $10 per month in dining credits and $100 per year in airline incidental credits. 

You can get this offer via the Resy website at this link: https://resy.com/amex-offers (this is not an affiliate link).

Chase Business Cards (75k Offers) 

At the beginning of the pandemic, Chase tightened up their business card applications, making it essentially impossible to open a new business card. There are now numerous reports that Chase has loosened these restrictions, now making it possible for most people with a side hustle or business to open a Chase business card. It’s still a little bit hit or miss, but if you’re in the market for a new card and have a business, it’s probably worth a try, especially given how high the signup offers are right now. 

The Chase Ink Cash and the Chase Ink Unlimited are both offering 75,000 Chase Ultimate Reward points after spending $7,500 within the first three months. These cards both have no annual fees. The $7,500 spending requirement is a bit steep, but if you have large expenses coming up or have some other way to hit the spending requirements, then these two offers are both very appealing (paying taxes is a great way to hit large minimum spend requirements).

The Chase Ink Preferred has a 100,000 point signup bonus after spending $15,000 within the first three months. This is also an appealing offer, but of course, the $15,000 spending requirement is going to be out of reach for many people. It’s worth getting if you have some large expenses to pay, so consider planning this card around those expenses (think tax payments, home renovations, etc).

American Express Delta Cards 

The American Express Delta credit cards all currently have record-high signup offers. If you value Delta miles and don’t have better cards to get, now would probably be a good time to get these cards. Both the personal Delta cards and the business Delta cards are offering record-high signup offers, so you have a lot of options. 

Here are the current offers for each card:

Personal Delta Cards 

• Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card (70,000 miles after $2,000 spend; annual fee waived in year 1)
• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card (90,000 miles after $3,000 spend; annual fee of $250 not waived)
• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card (80,000 miles after $5,000 spend; 20,000 MQMs, annual fee of $550 not waived)

Business Delta Cards 

• Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card (70,000 miles after $2,000 spend + $50 statement credit; annual fee waived in year 1)
• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card (90,000 miles after $3,000 spend + $100 statement credit; annual fee of $250 not waived)
• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card (80,000 miles after $5,000 spend + $200 statement credit; 20,000 MQMs, annual fee of $550 not waived)

If you’re thinking about the Delta cards, I’d generally be looking at the business credit cards since they won’t appear on your credit report and won’t impact your 5/24 status. The gold and platinum versions of the Delta cards are almost always worth getting. The Delta Reserve is one you’ll have to think about more because it comes with a hefty annual fee.

More Credit Card Offers 

For more credit card offers or to apply for any of the cards I discuss here, check out my best credit cards page, where you can check out more credit card offers and apply for cards not listed here.

If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me a message. 

Additional Resources

• Chase 5/24 Rule – Maximize Your Travel Hacking
• What You Need To Know About The Chase One Sapphire Rule
• Business Credit Cards: The Ultimate Tool For Travel Hackers
• The “Other” Business Cards That Aren’t From Chase Or American Express