If you’re planning to travel for spring break, Easter or summer vacation next year, now is a great time to start racking up points and miles for your trip.
At TPG, we believe it’s never too early to start earning. If you can earn travel rewards now, you’ll be in a better position to start making your 2027 travel plans early, when you may have more hotel and airline award availability to choose from.
Here’s our step-by-step guide to earning rewards now and putting them toward your spring and summer travels.
Cash in on timely welcome offers
First, applying for the best welcome offers on new cards right now can give you a sizable stash of points or miles to put toward upcoming travel.
Most cards give you three to six months to meet their minimum spending requirements, which can require thousands of dollars in spending. If you have larger purchases coming up this fall or during the holiday season, opening a card now could make it easier to meet that requirement through spending you were already planning.
For example, if you open a card in October and have three months to meet its spending requirement, you could earn your welcome bonus early in 2027. That could give you a fresh stash of rewards to put toward spring break, Easter or summer travel.
And even if you haven’t finalized your plans yet, earning rewards now means you’ll have more options when you’re ready to book.
Best welcome offers right now
If you’re wondering which card to get, here are just a few of our favorite welcome offers available right now.
| Card | Welcome bonus | Bonus value* | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| <strong><a href=”https://thepointsguy.com/oc/22504813?pid=22504813&name=American%20Express%20Platinum%20Card%C2%AE&issuer=American%20Express” target=”_blank”>American Express Platinum Card®</a></strong> | Find out your offer and see if you’re eligible for as high as 175,000 bonus points after spending $12,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer. | Up to $3,500 | $895 (see <a href=”/tc/22504813?pid=22504813&name=American%20Express%20Platinum%20Card%C2%AE&data-testid=ratesFees” target=”_blank”>rates and fees</a>) |
| <strong><a href=”https://thepointsguy.com/oc/221211836?pid=221211836&name=Chase%20Sapphire%20Reserve%C2%AE&issuer=Chase” target=”_blank”>Chase Sapphire Reserve®</a></strong> (see <a href=”/tc/221211836?pid=221211836&name=Chase%20Sapphire%20Reserve%C2%AE&data-testid=ratesFees” target=”_blank”>rates and fees</a>) | Earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. | $2,050 | $795 |
| <strong><a href=”https://thepointsguy.com/oc/11203?pid=11203&name=Citi%C2%AE%20%2F%20AAdvantage%C2%AE%20Executive%20World%20Legend%20Mastercard%C2%AE&issuer=Citi” target=”_blank”>Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Legend Mastercard®</a> </strong>(see <a href=”/tc/11203?pid=11203&name=Citi%C2%AE%20%2F%20AAdvantage%C2%AE%20Executive%20World%20Legend%20Mastercard%C2%AE&data-testid=ratesFees” target=”_blank”>rates and fees</a>) | For a limited time, earn 125,000 bonus miles after spending $15,000 on purchases in the first five months from account opening. | $1,813 | $695 |
| <strong><a href=”https://thepointsguy.com/oc/6344?pid=6344&name=American%20Express%C2%AE%20Gold%20Card&issuer=American%20Express” target=”_blank”>American Express® Gold Card</a></strong> | Find out your offer and see if you’re eligible for as high as 100,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer. | Up to $2,000 | $325 (see <a href=”/tc/6344?pid=6344&name=American%20Express%C2%AE%20Gold%20Card&data-testid=ratesFees” target=”_blank”>rates and fees</a>) |
| <strong><a href=”https://thepointsguy.com/oc/6153?pid=6153&name=The%20New%20IHG%20One%20Rewards%20Premier%20Credit%20Card&issuer=Chase” target=”_blank”>IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card</a> </strong>(see <a href=”/tc/6153?pid=6153&name=The%20New%20IHG%20One%20Rewards%20Premier%20Credit%20Card&data-testid=ratesFees” target=”_blank”>rates and fees</a>) | Earn 180,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. | $1,080 | $150 |
| <a target=”_blank” href=”https://thepointsguy.com/credit-cards/capital-one-venture/”><strong>Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card</strong></a> | Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, receive a $300 credit to use on hotel and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel in the first cardholder year upon account opening. | $1,688 (including the Capital One Travel credit) | $95 |
*Per TPG’s October 2026 valuations.
Use card perks for spring and summer travel
It’s not just about welcome offers, though. The right card can also provide valuable perks that can make your spring and summer travels more comfortable.
Depending on the card, benefits such as travel credits, airport lounge access, expedited security credits and hotel elite status can improve your travel experience. Plus, using your new card for travel and everyday purchases in the months ahead can help you continue earning rewards for future trips.
For instance, the Chase Sapphire Reserve offers up to $300 in flexible travel credits annually, a statement credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, access to Sapphire Lounges and a Priority Pass membership.
Meanwhile, the Amex Platinum offers hotel elite status with Marriott, Hilton and Leaders Club, which can enhance your stay if you stay at one of those brands. Enrollment required.
Plus, eligible cardmembers can get into the best airport lounges on the market with access to the Global Lounge Collection.
Any or all of these cards help ensure your next trip goes smoothly, even before you factor in the welcome offers involved.
Start planning your spring and summer travel early
Once you’ve earned your rewards, don’t wait too long to start thinking about how you’ll use them.
Booking earlier can give you more flight and hotel options, particularly if you’re traveling during popular periods such as spring break, Easter or summer vacation. Award availability can fluctuate, so it pays to start searching early and take advantage of a good redemption when you find one.
Starting to earn points and miles now gives you time to build your balances before you’re ready to book, and potentially more flexibility when it’s time to turn those rewards into a trip.
Bottom line
If spring or summer travel is on your calendar for 2027, now can be a good time to start building your points and miles balances.
Opening a new rewards credit card this fall could allow you to use upcoming purchases, including planned holiday spending, to work toward a valuable welcome bonus.
The sooner you start earning, the more time you’ll have to build your rewards balance and plan how to use it.
For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Gold card, click here.
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Source: thepointsguy.com
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