Need points for your holiday travel this year? Apply for a new credit card now

Summer is approaching, and you know what that means: Now’s the perfect time to start racking up points for vacation travel. Wait, what?

That’s right — at TPG, we believe that It’s never too early to start making money. If you can earn travel rewards now, you can get started Book your stay early, taking advantage of more available hotels and airlines and cheaper prices everywhere. That means you’ll have more money to spend the rest of the year because you made your big travel plans months ago.

Here’s our step-by-step guide to getting your rewards soon — meaning now — to enjoy a low-stress, frugal holiday season.

Earn from timely welcome offers

First, signing up for the best welcome offers on your new card now will give you plenty of time to meet them. Minimum spending required.

Most cards have three to six months of welcome offers and can require thousands of dollars in spending. Don’t put yourself behind the eight ball by getting a card in the fall – take advantage now.

For example, if you apply for a card now and receive it before June 1, you’ll have until the end of August to take advantage of the usual three-month welcome offer. You can then get your points in late September, at which point you can book your holiday travel while prices are still cheap and plentiful.

Best welcome offer today

If you’re wondering which card to get, here are just some of our favorite welcome offers available right now:

Very popular Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is offering 75,000 Ultimate Rewards points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Accordingly, it is worth 1,538 USD TPG valuation. You can read more about tags in card reviews.

There are also Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, with a healthy sign-up bonus of 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on the card within the first three months of account opening. It’s not the highest sign-up bonus we’ve seen from Capital One, but it’s a decent offer with reasonable spending requirements. Read more in our card reviews.

Finally, we will cover American Express Platinum® Card, for 80,000 points after you spend $8,000 in the first six months of card membership. You can also get one Higher bonuses up to 175,000 pass points CardMatch tool (Terms apply). Amex Platinum is a major achievement in the world of points and miles, with valuable earning rates and many travel benefits, including Best lounge access of any personal card. Read more in our card reviews.

For more valuable sign up bonuses, check out our full list of Best welcome offers on credit cards.

Use card privileges for summer travel

However, these are not just welcome offers. You can use the new card and its perks to enjoy it all summer travel That moment.

The aforementioned Amex Platinum offers access to airport lounges worldwide, reimbursement for Global Entry/TSA PreCheck and Clear Plus, up to $200 annual hotel credit, and statement credit up to $200 annually for aviation incidents. Registration is required.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card offers up to $300 annual travel credit, reimbursed for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, and a Priority Pass Members.

There are also Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Cardoffers expanded lounge benefits for authorized users and two guests, access to top-level Hertz President’s Circle status, and a $300 annual credit for travel booked through the Capital portal One Travel.

Once enrolled, accessible through the Capital One website or mobile app, eligible cardholders will remain at the upgraded status level until December 31, 2024. Please note, enrolling through the regular Hertz Gold Plus Rewards application process (e.g. at Hertz.com) will not automatically detect cardholders as eligible for the program and cardholders will not be automatically upgraded to the applicable status level. Additional terms apply.

Any or all of these cards should ensure that your next trip is more comfortable, even before you factor in the associated welcome offers.

Make vacation plans early

As mentioned, you’ll want to get your new card sooner rather than later to ensure you can book your holiday trip for the least amount of money and with as much flexibility as possible. Booking earlier means more flights and hotel rooms — and cheaper prices.

Booking holiday travel in August or September is much cheaper than waiting until October (or even November). Every day counts, so you’ll want to stay ahead of the curve.

Learn how to set redemptions and avoid common redemption mistakes flight And many hotels.

Bottom line

The early birds help the worm. But seriously – now is the time to start saving for your next big holiday trip.

If you can get approved for a new card now, you can take advantage Attractive welcome and book your next trip as soon as possible. You’ll hit two birds with one stone: enjoy the perks of your new card over the summer and save big during the holiday season.

Then you can start thinking about how to do it all again next year.

Related: How to choose a credit card to enter the airport lounge