Taking advantage of banks and traveling for next to nothing

There are a few credit cards that have strong sign up bonuses and travel benefits that can be acquired without any cost. This is a list of the most attractive opportunities that are zero cost and yet provide substantial returns. The hotel and airline cards listed with the first year annual fee waived can be cancelled and the points, once earned, are still retained (should you decide to cancel any credit card, wait until the second year annual fee posts and then cancel to maintain your relationship with the card issuer and preserving your points from a potential claw back).

1. US Bank Altitude Connect - $0 annual fee with 20,000 points after $1,000 spend in the first 90 days of account opening.
   1. First 15 billing cycles at 0% APR
   2. TSA PreCheck or Global Entry - $100 credit every four years (enough for TSA PreCheck but $20 out of pocket for Global Entry)
   3. Complimentary Priority Pass Select Membership includes four free visits to over 1,700 lounges, restaurants and experiences
   4. No foreign transaction fees
   5. 15 day Gigsky program for international cell service (5Gb of data included)
   6. Guide to benefits https://mycardgtb.com/altitudeconnect
2. CITI AAdvantage Platinum Select - $0 Intro Annual Fee for the first year; $99 thereafter (cancel after first year and still retain points). 50,000 AAdvantage points after $2,500 in spend within the first three months of account opening.
   1. Preferred boarding on AA flights
   2. First checked bag free on AA domestic flights
3. CITI AAdvantage Business Card - $0 Intro Annual Fee for the first year; $99 thereafter (cancel after first year and still retain points). 65,000 AAdvantage points after $4,000 in spend within the first four months of account opening.
   1. Preferred boarding on AA flights
   2. First checked bag free on AA domestic flights
4. Chase United Explorer - $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $150. 60,000 United points after $3,000 spend in the first three months from account opening.
   1. Access to discounted award flights on united.com that are not available to the general public
   2. 10,000 bonus points by adding an authorized user within the first 90 days of account opening
   3. Free first checked bag - the primary card holder and one traveling companion can each check a standard bag for free
   4. TSA PreCheck or Global Entry - $120 credit every four years
   5. Two United Club one time passes per annum
   6. Additional discounts and credits
5. United Gateway Card - $0 annual fee with 30,000 United points with $1,000 spend in the first 90 days of account opening.
   1. 10,000 bonus points by adding an authorized user within the first 90 days of account opening
   2. Free first checked bag - the primary card holder and one traveling companion can each check a first standard bag for free
   3. 0% intro APR for the first 12 months from account opening on purchases.
6. United Business Card - $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $150. 75,000 bonus miles + 2,000 Premier qualifying points (PQP) after $5,000 in spend in the first three months.
   1. Up to $25 in credits on Farelock purchases annually
   2. 2 United Club one-time passes per year
   3. Receive a 5,000-mile better-together anniversary bonus when you have the United℠ Business card and a personal United credit card
   4. Free first checked bag - the primary card holder and one traveling companion can each check a first standard bag for free
   5. Extensive travel coverage including primary rental car coverage
   6. Additional discounts and credits
7. Marriott Bonvoy Bold - $0 annual fee with 30,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
   1. The only Marriott credit card with Pay Yourself Back - redeem points at $.008 per point for travel booked directly with airlines and participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels
   2. 3x points on Marriott stays
   3. Marriott Silver status which is, overall, not too exciting but included along with five Elite Night credits per annum
8. Hilton Honors American Express Card - $0 annual fee with 100,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 in the first six months of account opening.
   1. Seven points per dollar spent on Hilton purchases
   2. Hilton Honors Silver status
9. IHG One Traveler - $0 annual fee with 80,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
   1. Redeem 3 nights, get 4th night free - When you redeem points for a consecutive four-night IHG^® hotel stay, you can receive a fourth Reward Night free redeemable at that same hotel during that same stay.
   2. IHG Silver Elite status
10. Wyndham Rewards Earner Card - $0 annual fee with 60,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first 90 days from account opening.
    1. Redeem Wyndham hotels, Wyndham Vacation Clubs and The Cottages (Great Britain) rentals at 7,500, 15,000 and 30,000 points per bedroom, per night
    2. 10% discount on points used to book stays

Conclusion - If you start accumulating points through these credit card sign-ups, you can travel for next to nothing (flight taxes are typically not covered with points). I highly recommend using the free app Travel Freely to track your credit card sign ups (my sanity is dependent on this application).