The card you book with matters
You are already paying for the flight. That same spend can work harder.
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Why we bring this up at all
We watch fares. That is the whole job, and we are not going to pretend a credit card is part of it. But the fare is only half of what a trip costs you, and the half we cannot move is how you pay for it.
If you are booking a flight anyway, the money is leaving your account either way. On some travel cards, that same booking counts toward the spend requirement on a welcome bonus. Same trip, same price, different card.
How a welcome bonus works
Most travel rewards cards offer a bonus to new cardholders who spend a set amount within the first few months. The spend has to be real spend, which is exactly why a trip you were already taking is worth thinking about. A flight is usually one of the larger single purchases in a year.
Bonus sizes, spend requirements, and the window you have to meet them differ by card, and they change often. That is why we do not quote a number here. The current terms live on our partner's comparison page.
What we would check first
The annual fee, and whether the benefits you would actually use cover it. The spend requirement, and whether you would hit it without buying things you do not need. How the rewards come back to you, since points, miles, and statement credits are not the same thing. And your own credit standing, because approval is never guaranteed and an application affects your credit.
If a bonus only works by spending more than you meant to, it is not a saving. We would rather say that plainly than sell you something.
Current offers, terms, and rates are shown by our partner. How we calculate this
SlickTrip has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. SlickTrip and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.