There’s a better card for you.Dean knows where to look.

Click through Rakuten before you apply, and Rakuten pays you once the card is approved, on top of the bank's own welcome bonus.

The termsRakuten pays $350 for Bank of America Premium Rewards, $200 for Customized Cash Rewards, $75 for Travel Rewards, and $25 for Unlimited Cash Rewards. Premium Rewards also earns the bank's 60,000 points ($600) after $4,000 in 90 days, so that card pays $950 for $4,000 of spending. Customized Cash adds the bank's $200 after $1,000 in 90 days, $400 in all. Rakuten also pays $100 each for Chase Ink Business Cash and Ink Business Unlimited, and $100 for Freedom Unlimited if you are new to Chase ($50 if not). Keep the card open 3 months.

The catch: Rakuten's payouts move week to week: Travel Rewards paid $400 in September and pays $75 now. If your Rakuten account earns Amex points instead of cash, you get $0, so switch it to cash back or Bilt first. Rakuten pays "only one cash back bonus per Rakuten member account," and the bank's usual approval rules still apply.

Through Dec 31, the fourth-quarter 5% dining category stacks with Flex's 3% dining and a targeted 10x bonus for paying with Paze at an online checkout.

The terms1x base + 2x Flex dining + 4x Q4 bonus = 7x on dining after you activate the quarter, on up to $1,500 across grocery, dining, and American Red Cross. Paying with Paze at a participating online merchant adds 10 points per dollar on up to $1,500 a month through Dec 31. Together that is 17x, or 15x on the original Freedom. After the $1,500 quarterly cap, a Paze dining order earns 13x.

The catch: The 10x is targeted: it counts only if Chase offered it to you, under "Boost your points" in the Benefits section, and a login that mixes business and personal cards may not show it. Paze works at online checkout only, never at the table and not in the Clover app. No source confirms that every Clover restaurant counts, and the 7x total is Doctor of Credit's math, not Chase's.

Amex's public welcome offer, except Amex picks your number after you apply.

The termsAs high as 300,000 Membership Rewards points after $20,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. Amex shows your exact amount after you submit and before you accept, and says you can see if you are approved with no personal credit score impact. Points post 8 to 12 weeks after you hit the spend. $895 annual fee.

The catch: Your number may be lower: Doctor of Credit readers mostly see 250,000, a Frequent Miler writer was offered 200,000, and past cardholders can get no bonus at all. $20,000 in 3 months is steep, the window can shrink if the card arrives late, and the card is for business use only.

Amex raised the Aspire bonus from 175,000 to 200,000 points through Jan 13, 2027.

The terms200,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after $6,000 in purchases in the first 6 months. $550 annual fee. The yearly Free Night Reward is a standard card benefit, not part of this bonus.

The catch: No bonus if you have or have had the Aspire, and Amex can decline the bonus based on your card history; it tells you before it processes the application. The Free Night Reward expires a year after it is issued and excludes some hotels.