Knowing your options is important if you’re planning on applying for any rewards credit cards. And finding travel cards with a low minimum spending requirement that still offer lucrative rewards can be a challenge. But not impossible!
If you’re one of the many who has taken advantage of the 100,000 Citi AA offer that has a $10,000 spend to meet in 90 days, this probably applies to you. I applied for the card last month, and added a couple low spend cards to the mix.
And while there are many ways to help you meet minimum spending requirements, like through Amazon payments, gift cards, and bluebird, staying within your budget and being comfortable with how often you use your credit card is very important. Don’t stretch yourself.
The days of no minimum spending requirements are basically behind us. Oh, the good ole days. Nowadays, a general minimum spending requirement is $3,000 within 90 days. That’s the minimum spend on two of the top cards right now: the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, and Barclaycard Arrival(TM) World MasterCard®.
Also, before I list the best rewards credit cards with low minimum spending requirements, DON’T apply for any cards if:
your credit score isn’t in good condition
you can’t pay your cc bills on time
you have high debt
Ok, here are the top rewards cards with low minimum spending requirements.
British Airways Visa
The Chase British Airways Visa Signature® Card comes with a spend requirement of $2,000 in purchases in 3 months. And you will receive 50,000 uber valuable Avios miles after meeting your spend.
I love my Avios because they can be used in a variety of ways, and they are a transfer partner of Ultimate Rewards. I prefer to use my Avios for short haul domestic and intra international flights, flights on Aer Lingus, Iberia, or Air Berlin.
Link: British Airways Visa Signature® Card
Alaska Airlines
The Bank of America Alaska Airlines card comes with 30,000 Alaska miles upon approval. Meaning no spend requirement! What, what.
Alaska Airlines Visa
I like this offer, but I’m waiting for the 50,000 Alaska miles offer to return on this card. Alaska miles are pretty darn versatile. You can fly Cathay Pacific, American Airlines, Emirates, and Delta (if you dare) with them.
Link: Bank of America Alaska Airlines card
Frontier Airlines
The Frontier Airlines World MasterCard® has a minimum spending requirement of $500 in 90 days. Easy, peasy. And you will receive 40,000 miles in the EarlyReturns program.
40,000 EarlyReturns miles are good enough for two roundtrip domestic tickets. Not too shabby. You can read more about the Frontier Early Returns program here.
Link: The Frontier Airlines World MasterCard®
IHG
The Chase IHG card has a minimum spending requirement of $1,000 in 3 months. You will receive 60,000 IHG points after you meet the spending qualifications.
IHG Rewards Card
There’s also a possible higher offer that can be found here. I like IHG points, but 60,000 are only good for 1 night at a top category hotel. However, IHG is a transfer partner of Chase’s Ultimate Rewards, and their 5,000 Pointbreaks offers can be a steal if you can find a location that works for you.
Link: IHG Card
Hyatt
My hotel chain of choice has a co-branded rewards card backed by Chase that has a minimum spending requirement of $1,000 in 3 months. After completing the minimum spending requirements, you will receive two free nights at a Hyatt property worldwide. Boom.
Hyatt Visa
Hyatt is also a transfer partner of Chase’s Ultimate Rewards. I used my two free certs from the card at the Park Hyatt Vendome in Paris. Another good place to use the free certs is at the Andaz 5th Avenue in NYC.
Link: Chase Hyatt Visa
Hawaiian Airlines
The Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite MasterCard® from Barclays is another low minimum spend rewards card. It has a requirement of $1,000 in 90 days, and you will receive 35,000 Hawaiian airline miles.
35,000 Hawaiian miles is good for a round-trip ticket to Hawaii. Everyone loves Hawaii. You can read more about the value of the Hawaiian rewards credit cards here.
Link: The Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite MasterCard®
Conclusion
While there are definitely less rewards credit cards with no minimum spends to meet today, there are still a lot of options that have a low spend requirements.
Adding in low spend card options to a round of card applications is a strategy that I have been practicing for years. It’s more important today than ever since many of the top offers have a higher spend to meet now.
I hope this helps if you were looking for a low spend option on a rewards credit card. And don’t hesitate to reach out if you ever have any questions!
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— Geoff Whitmore