For the first time in three long years, the credit card market seemed to thrive.  2011 was just a fantastic year to be a credit card holder, or a potential credit card holder as some credit card issuers went above and beyond the usual to offer big bonuses and awesome promotions even I had never seen before.

Four credit cards in particular offered up front bonuses of $500 or more (one of which could be worth thousands of dollars depending on what you use it for).

Chase British Airways Signature Visa – This card only survived a few months, but the 100,000 bonus points one could earn was worth multiple domestic flights, or one very awesome first class round trip to select European destinations.  Depending on where you fly from, this up-front bonus was worth up to $5,000; the largest bonus I’ve ever seen on a credit card, by a wide margin.  Unfortunately, the Chase British Airways Signature Visa is now expired.

 

Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Plus Card – Southwest doesn’t charge you for your first two bags and they also provided the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Plus Card which gave away two free round-trip domestic flights.  Two flights on Southwest averaged about $800, so the bonus here was the second largest offered this year.  The card comes with a reasonable $60 annual fee and a $50 Wanna Get Away flight bonus every year.

Citi ThankYou Premier Card – A brand new credit card in 2011, the Citi ThankYou Premier Card offers up points for every purchase and 50,000 bonus points were provided to new cardholders.  That’s good enough for $500 in gift cards OR more than $600 in travel rewards but there’s a hefty $125 annual fee (not charged the first year).

 

 

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card – One final card on our list which offers a $500 cash bonus, the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card also includes a 7% point dividend bonus at the end of the year AND a dedicated live representative, 24/7/365.  When you call into customer service, you automatically get a live agent, something no other credit card provides (without a big annual fee).  The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card does have a $95 annual fee, waived in year one.

And if those cards weren’t enough, the return of the no fee balance transfer surely excited consumers, as both Chase and Discover launched a card offering a 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months without a BT fee.

Now removed from 2011, I’m amazed at just how quickly a once devastated industry recovered to near full strength.  Issuers were competing against each other for new cardholders, which is a win for everyone.  Hopefully this strong trend will continue into 2012 and the ways Americans can save (or make) money by using their credit cards will continue to rise.

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