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The Best New Member Bonuses for Airline and Hotel Programs

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Jarrod West
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Jarrod West

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Boasting a portfolio of over 20 cards, Jarrod has been an expert in the points and miles space for over 6 years. He earns and redeems over 1 million points per year and his work has been featured in o...
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Ryan Smith

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Airline and Hotel new member bonuses are a great way to kickstart your points and mileage balances. Not to mention that you can’t earn points or miles for your flights and hotel stays without having an account with that loyalty program.

We’ve put together a full list of each program offering a bonus to new members, so you can start racking up those points and miles as you join them.

Airline New Member Bonuses

American Airlines

For those who don’t already have an American Airlines AAdvantage account, you can earn up to 3,000 miles after making a new account, though there are a few hoops to jump through.

First, you need to register for the promotion within 30 days of creating your AAdvantage account. Then, you need to book and fly 2 flights with American Airlines within 3 months of registering. This only applies to flights marketed by American but can be operated by American, American Eagle, Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Iberia, Finnair, Japan Airlines, or Qantas.

Finally, you’ll also need to earn miles with an eligible partner with 3 months as well. You have quite a few options here with varying degrees of ease:

Hot Tip:

There really is no shortage of ways to earn American Airlines miles. In addition to the above partners, you also can earn miles with American Airlines credit cards, through Bask Bank, vacation packages, and more.

Delta SkyMiles

New members of the Delta SkyMiles program can earn 1,000 bonus SkyMiles after creating an account. Better yet, you’ll also be able to claim the miles you would have earned for any recent flights in the past 9 months.

Emirates Skywards

It may surprise you to learn that the German airline Condor uses Emirates Skywards as its loyalty program. This new partnership is being offered by the 2 airlines together. Through March 31, 2025, you can earn 2,000 bonus Skywards miles if you sign up using the promo code CONDOR at registration. Note that these bonus miles will expire after 1 year.

EVA Air Infinity MileageLands

When you create an EVA Air Infinity MileageLands account as a new member, you can receive 500 bonus miles just for signing up, plus another 500 miles after you complete your member profile. That provides a total of 1,000 bonus miles.

Qatar Airways Privilege Club

New members who join the Qatar Airways Privilege Club by December 31, 2025, using the code PCAMER25 who travel by June 30, 2026, can earn up to 5,000 bonus Avios.

Qatar Airways Qsuites
Qatar Airways QSuites. Image Credit: Katie Seemann

After you register for the promotion and take your first flight as a member by June 30, 2026, you’ll earn 3,000 bonus Avios if your flight was in economy and 5,000 bonus Avios if your flight was in business or first class.

THAI Airways Royal Orchid Plus

When you sign up for a Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus account through this promotion link, you’ll receive 2,500 bonus miles after booking and completing your first international flight with Thai Airways.

Hotel New Member Bonuses

Best Western

While not exclusively a new member bonus, any Best Western Rewards member, including those who have just created an account, can earn 2,000 bonus points on their next stay between now and December 31, 2025.

Hilton Honors

You can jumpstart your Hilton Honors balance by earning a welcome bonus of up to 3,000 bonus points. You’ll earn 500 bonus points on your first stay, plus an extra 1,000 bonus points after your second stay. After your third stay, you’ll get another 1,500 bonus points.

Simply sign up for your Hilton Honors account through the promotion page prior to December 31, 2025, and book your stays within 6 months of signing up.

IHG One Rewards

When you join the IHG One Rewards program and stay at an IHG property within 21 days of joining, you can earn 5,000 bonus points. This offer is available to those who join by January 31, 2025.

Note that you need to sign up through the promotion link to be eligible, and your qualifying stay must be a paid stay with a cost of at least $30 per night.

Marriott Bonvoy

If you’re signing up for the Marriott Bonvoy program, you’ll want to ensure you use this special link to earn up to 7,500 bonus points within 90 days of registering.

JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes Back of Hotel View
JW Marriott Orlando. Image Credit: Nick Ellis

You’ll earn 500 bonus points just for joining. After completing your first stay, you’ll earn 2,000 bonus points. You’ll get another 5,000 bonus points after completing a second stay. You must complete these stays within 90 days of joining, however, so it makes sense to register when you have travel plans coming soon.

Hot Tip:

This is one of the most lucrative new member bonuses, as we value 7,500 Marriott points at $52.50.

Radisson Rewards

The Radisson Rewards promotion for new members isn’t a typical new member promotion but rather a refer-a-friend promotion.

All you need to do is get your friend to send you their referral link and sign up through it. Then, you both will receive a 1,000-point bonus after you complete your first stay within 12 months of signing up.

Rakuten New Member Bonus

If you’re not already familiar, Rakuten is a shopping portal that allows you to earn cash-back for shopping at your favorite stores. But there is a twist, as you are not just limited to earning cash-back!

Those who already have an Amex credit card that earns Amex Membership Rewards points can opt to earn Amex Membership Rewards points instead of cash-back when shopping through Rakuten.

For instance, instead of earning 1% cash-back, you’d earn 1x Amex point per $1 spent, depending on the merchant offer through Rakuten.

This is great because Amex Membership Rewards are some of the most valuable travel rewards available, and they transfer to a wide variety of airline and hotel transfer partners.

Plus, when you sign up through a Referal link, you and the person referring you receive a $30 cash-back bonus or 3,000 Amex Membership Rewards points after your first purchase.

Final Thoughts

In case it wasn’t obvious by now, you should always check to see if there is a new member bonus that you can take advantage of before signing up for a new loyalty program.

If you feel like all of these promotions are tough to keep track of, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered! Bookmark this page and check back often, as we update this page regularly with the best new member bonus offers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are airline and hotel new member bonuses?

Airline and hotel new member bonuses are promotions for those who do not currently have an account with that airline or hotel program. They allow you to earn bonus points after signing up and completing any additional requirements, such as completing a stay or taking a flight.

What airlines and hotels have new member bonuses?

Airline and hotel promotions come and go, but refer back to this page to stay updated on all of the active promotions.

Can you get a new member bonus more than once?

New member bonuses are limited to 1 per person. However, if you travel with a spouse, family, or friends, then each member of your travel group can take advantage of a new member bonus.

Am I eligible for a new member bonus if I already have an account?

Unfortunately, no, only new members who don’t already have a loyalty account number with the airline/hotel are eligible for a new member bonus.

Jarrod West's image

About Jarrod West

Boasting a portfolio of over 20 cards, Jarrod has been an expert in the points and miles space for over 6 years. He earns and redeems over 1 million points per year and his work has been featured in outlets like The New York Times.

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