Best Credit Card Offers For September 2023

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.

For a list of all the credit cards I recommend, check out my best credit cards page, where you can find out more credit card offers and apply for cards not listed in this post.

It’s important to note that this post is not intended to be an exhaustive list of credit cards 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 card rewards. 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 some of the current best credit card offers for September 2023:

Chase Sapphire Reserve

The Chase Sapphire Reserve is offering 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 in 3 months. This makes it one of the top cards I recommend for most people. The card comes with a $300 travel credit that works for almost anything related to travel, including things like parking fees and public transit fares, so the $300 travel credit is as good as cash for almost everyone. You can find the 60,000 point signup bonus at this Chase Sapphire Reserve link.

Importantly, it’s possible to double-dip the travel credit if you decide the card isn’t a long-term option for you. That means in the first year, you can always end up with a $50 net gain simply from using the travel credits.

If you are considering the Chase Sapphire Reserve, be aware of a few 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 credit report, so most business cards won’t count toward 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.

Chase Sapphire Preferred

The Chase Sapphire Preferred is offering 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 in 3 months.

If you’re thinking about getting the Chase Sapphire Preferred, don’t forget the 5/24 rule and the One Sapphire rule.

The 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points are worth $750 if redeemed in the Chase travel portal, but can be worth more if transferred to travel partners. Note that the card does come with a $95 annual fee that is not waived in the first year, but the annual fee is easily justified by the signup bonus. After a year, you can product change your card to a Chase Sapphire Reserve, assuming you want the benefits that come with the Chase Sapphire Reserve, or if you don’t need the card, product change to a no-fee card like the Chase Freedom, Chase Freedom Unlimited, or Chase Freedom Flex.

Of the two Sapphire branded cards, I’d typically recommend getting the Chase Sapphire Reserve since it gives you a travel credit to offset the annual fee.

Chase Business Cards

The Chase Ink Cash and Chase Ink Unlimited are both offering $900 (up from $750) cash back after spending $6,000 within the first three months. If you’re able to meet the minimum spend requirement and are comfortable getting business credit cards, these are the top cards I recommend.

Both the Chase Ink Cash and the Chase Ink Unlimited have no annual fees. The $6,000 spending requirement can be a bit steep for some people, but if you have large expenses coming up or have some other way to hit the minimum spending requirements, these two offers are very appealing (paying taxes is a great way to hit a large minimum spend requirement).

The Chase Ink Preferred has a 100,000 point signup bonus after spending $8,000 (used to be $15,000) within the first three months. This is also an appealing offer as the spend requirements are 7k less than they used to be. 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).

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

Additional Resources

More Recommended Ebike/Scooters

Check out these other ebikes and scooters I've reviewed:

Urban Arrow Ebike – Last year, I made one of the largest purchases I’ve ever made – I bought a $9,000 electric cargo bike from Urban Arrow. In my Urban Arrow review, I will discuss what it is and why I decided to buy this bike, as well as discuss how impactful a bike like this can be on your journey to financial independence.
Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Ebike – The Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is a fat-tire ebike that I’ve had the pleasure of riding for a while now. It has amazing power, great looks, and awesome range. If you’re looking for a great fat-tire ebike that offers a lot for the price, the Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is definitely one for you to consider. Check out my Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Review.
Hovsco HovBeta Ebike – The HovBeta is a folding ebike with great specs and a lot of interesting features, and importantly, it’s sold at a good price point. I’ve had a blast commuting with it and using it to do deliveries with DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. Check out my Hovsco HovBeta Ebike Review.
Vanpowers Manidae Ebike – The Vanpowers Manidae is a fat tire ebike that I’ve been riding as my primary winter commuting bike and have also been using it to do food delivery with apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. After clocking in a decent number of miles with this ebike, I wanted to write a post sharing what my experience with the Vanpowers Manidae ebike has been like. Check out my Vanpowers Manidae Review.
KBO Flip Ebike – The KBO Flip is an excellent bike. I’ve had a great time riding it and think it’s a versatile bike that can be used for a lot of purposes and can fit a variety of lifestyles. It’s worked out great for me as a general commuter bike and as a food delivery bike. Check out my KBO Flip Review.
Hiboy P7 Commuter Ebike – The Hiboy P7 is an excellent electric commuter bike that’s offered at an affordable price point. The range and speed of this bike are both very good, so you won’t have any trouble getting anywhere you need to go with it. As a food delivery vehicle, this is also good – with how much range it offers, you’ll be able to work all day on a single charge. Check out my Hiboy P7 Commuter Electric Bike Review.
Himiway Escape Ebike – The Himiway Escape is an interesting bike for anyone looking for a moped-style ebike. If you’re a gig economy worker, the Himiway Escape is particularly interesting and it’s possible to think of it as an investment, especially if you can opt to do deliveries with the Himiway versus using a car. It’s not cheap, but you can definitely make your money back when you compare the mileage you’ll put on your car versus using an ebike. Check out my Himiway Escape Bike Review.
Espin Sport Ebike – The Espin Sport is a good ebike for someone who is looking for an ebike that feels and rides more like a regular bike. There are many ebikes that are really only bikes in name. In reality, they’re basically electric mopeds. The Espin Sport, by contrast, is a bike you could probably ride without the battery and you’d feel like you’re just riding a regular bike. Check out my Espin Sport Review.
Varla Eagle One Scooter – The Varla Eagle One is an excellent scooter that can make sense for a lot of people. It can work as a primary mode of transportation. You can use it to work on gig economy apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. And it can also be a recreational vehicle if you’d prefer to use it for that. Check out my Varla Eagle One Review.
Varla Falcon Scooter – The Varla Falcon is an excellent scooter that offers a good amount of power at a lower price point compared to more powerful scooters. It’s not exactly an entry-level scooter, nor is it a high-powered scooter. I think it fits somewhere in-between those two categories – an intermediate scooter if I had to give it a category. Check out my Varla Falcon Review.
Hiboy S2 Scooter – The Hiboy S2 is an excellent entry-level commuter scooter that's perfect for someone looking to save some money in transportation costs and improve their commute. Check out my Hiboy S2 Review.
Hiboy S2R Scooter – The Hiboy S2R is one of the more interesting electric scooters I’ve been able to test out. It’s not a high-powered scooter, but for an everyday transport option, it’s very useful, especially given some of the unique features that it has. Indeed, for the price, the Hiboy S2R might be the best value scooter I’ve used. Check out my Hiboy S2R Review.
Fucare H3 Scooter – The Fucare H3 is a fun scooter and I’ve enjoyed testing it out. For a daily commuter or quick trips or errands, the Fucare H3 is probably the scooter I’ll use. It’s portable and easy to maneuver, so it’s just easier to take on the road when I need it. Check out my Fucare H3 Scooter Review.

More Recommended Investing App Bonuses

For additional investing app bonuses, be sure to check out the ones below:

M1 Finance ($100) – This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $100 for opening an account. Check out my M1 Finance Referral Bonus – Step-By-Step Guide.
Moomoo (15 free stocks and 1 stock of Tesla or Google) – Moomoo is a free investing app currently offering 3 different referral bonuses if you open an account using a referral link. Read my Moomoo referral bonus guide for more information.
Webull (12 free stock shares) – Webull's current promotion gives you 12 free shares valued between $3-$3,000 each if you open an account using my referral link. Here’s a guide I wrote about how to earn your free shares using Webull.
Robinhood (1 free stock) – Robinhood gives you a free stock valued between $2.50-$225 if you open an account using my referral link.
Public (1 free stock) - Public gives you a free stock valued between $3-$70 if you open an account using my referral link.
SoFi Invest ($25) – SoFi Invest is an easy brokerage account bonus that you can earn with just a few minutes of work. Use my SoFi Invest referral link, fund your SoFi Invest brokerage account with $100 and you’ll get $25 of free stock. I also have a step-by-step guide for the SoFi Invest referral bonus.

More Recommended Bank Account Bonuses

If you’re looking for more easy bank bonuses, check out the below options. These bonuses are all easy to earn and have no fees or minimum balance requirements to worry about.

Chime ($150) - Chime is a free bank account that offers a referral bonus if you use a referral link and complete a direct deposit of $200 or more. In practice, any ACH transfer into this account triggers the bonus. This bonus is easy to earn and posts instantly, so you’ll know if you met the requirements as soon as you move money into the account. I wrote a step-by-step guide on how to earn your Chime referral bonus that I recommend you check out.
SoFi Money ($275) – SoFi Money is a free checking account from SoFi. They’re currently offering a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi account with a referral link and deposit $10. You can also make an additional $250 as well if you complete a direct deposit. This is a good bank that is also 100% free, so you won’t have to worry about managing this account. Here’s a post I wrote with instructions on how to earn your SoFi Money bonus: SoFi Money Referral Bonus: Step By Step Guide.
Upgrade ($150) – Upgrade is a free checking account that’s currently offering a $150 referral bonus if you open an account and complete a direct deposit. These bonus terms are easy to meet, so it’s well worth doing this bonus as soon as you can. Here’s a post I wrote with more details: Upgrade $150 Referral Bonus – Step By Step Directions.
US Bank Business ($800) – This is a fairly easy bank bonus to earn, since there are no direct deposit requirements. In addition, you can open the Silver Business Checking account, which comes with no monthly fees. Check out how to earn this big bonus here.
GO2Bank ($100) - GO2Bank is an easy bank bonus that I recommend people take advantage of if they have an easy way of meeting the direct deposit requirement. I like that it’s easy to open the account and that the bonus pays out quickly. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your GO2Bank $100 referral bonus.
Current ($50) – Current is a free fintech bank that’s offering new users a $50 referral bonus after signing up for an account using a referral link. Current is an easy bonus to earn and also gives you access to three savings accounts that pay you 4% interest on up to $2,000. That means you can put away up to $6,000 earning 4% interest. That’s very good and makes Current an account I recommend to everyone. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Current Bank bonus.
Netspend ($40 + 5% Interest Savings Account) – Netspend is a company that provides 5% interest savings accounts. If you sign up using my referral link, you’ll get a $40 signup bonus once you make your first deposit into your Netspend account of $40 or more. That means you get a 5% interest savings account and a free $40 to start! Make sure to check out my in-depth guide on how to set up these accounts.
Digital Federal Credit Union ($20) – Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU) is a free, nationwide credit union that I recommend to readers for two reasons. First, DCU has a $20 referral bonus if you open a free DCU checking account with a referral link. Second, DCU has a saving account that gives you 6.17% interest on your first $1,000. Check out my in-depth post on how to set this account up.
Novo Bank ($40) - Novo bank is a free business checking account that’s currently offering a $40 bonus if you open a Novo business checking account using a referral link. In addition to being a good bank bonus, Novo is also a good business checking account. It has no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements and operates a good app and website. Indeed, it’s the business checking account I currently use for this blog. Check out my post on how to easily open a Novo account.
Varo ($30) – Varo is a free fintech banking app similar to Chime or Current. It’s currently offering a $30 bonus to new users that open a new Varo account with a referral link. The bonus for this bank is very easy to meet, all you need to do is spend $20 within 30 days of opening your Varo account. Check out my step-by-step guide to learn how to earn this bonus.

Kevin is an attorney and the blogger behind Financial Panther, a blog about personal finance, travel hacking, and side hustling using the gig economy. He paid off $87,000 worth of student loans in just 2.5 years by choosing not to live like a big shot lawyer.

Kevin is passionate about earning money using the gig economy and you can see all the ways he makes extra income every month in his side hustle reports.

Kevin is also big on using the latest fintech apps to improve his finances. Some of Kevin's favorite fintech apps include:

SoFi Money. A really good checking account with absolutely no fees. You'll get a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi Money account with a referral link, and an additional $250 if you complete a direct deposit.
5% Savings Accounts. I'm currently getting 5.25% interest on my savings through a company called Raisin. Opening a Raisin account takes minutes to complete, it's free, and all of your funds are FDIC-insured. I explain how it works, why I'm now using it to store my emergency fund and any other cash savings I have, and why I recommend everyone check it out in this review.
US Bank Business. US Bank is currently offering new business customers a $800 signup bonus after opening a new account and meeting certain requirements.
M1 Finance. This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $100 for opening an account.
Personal Capital. One of best free apps you can use to monitor your portfolio and track your net worth. This is one of the apps I use to track my financial accounts.

Feel free to send Kevin a message here.

Comments

Jason says

December 24, 2021 at 3:51 pm

Looks like the Southwest offer has changed. I’m seeing 40,000 points and there’s an annual fee, even for the Plus card.

- Financial Panther says
  
  December 24, 2021 at 4:20 pm
  
  Oh yeah, that offer ended earlier this month. Need to update the post.
  
  If you’re looking for Southwest Companion Pass, then I’d recommend getting the Southwest biz cards right now.
  
Dora says

October 4, 2021 at 3:14 pm

Hi! Love your card bonus updates. I got a great Ink bonus using your link. 🙂 Can you get a Sapphire Preferred card bonus if you currently have an active Reserve card?

- Financial Panther says
  
  October 4, 2021 at 3:16 pm
  
  You’d need to downgrade the Chase Sapphire Reserve to a Chase Freedom or Freedom Unlimited, then open the Chase Sapphire Preferred.
  
  But remember, you can only get the Chase Sapphire Preferred bonus if you haven’t gotten a bonus on either the Chase Sapphire Prefered or Chase Sapphire Reserve in the past 48 months. So once every 4 years.