Earning chunky welcome bonuses by opening new cards is the fastest way to points and miles riches. Often though, cards offering rich rewards come with hundreds of dollars in annual fee which can sometimes make some people uncomfortable.

So if you are someone who wants to get into the points game but don’t want to shell out a lot of money in fees, here are three limited time offers you should consider.

American Express Platinum Edge Card

Let’s start with the Amex Platinum Edge. This is a card I personally have in my wallet and one I consider to be the best for everyday spends at places such as Supermarkets and Fuel Stations in Australia.

The card normally carries a $195 annual fee which is currently waived for new cardmembers for the 1st year. In addition, Amex are also offering a very respectable welcome bonus of 50,000 Membership Rewards Points.

To get this:

• You need to Apply online by 20th October 2021 and be approved.
• Spend a minimum of $1,500 on the card within 3 months of your membership.

Redeem Membership Rewards points to fly Virgin Atlantic Upper Class

But this isn’t a card to get just for the initial welcome bonus, it’s bonus points earning power and associated perks make it a long-term keeper. With this card,

• You will earn 3x points at major supermarkets and fuel stations all around Australia and 1x point everywhere else.
• Receive $200 in travel credit each year which fully offsets the annual fee. You can use this credit to pay for flights, hotels and car-hire on Amex Travel.
• Complimentary domestic and international travel insurance.
• Complimentary smartphone screen insurance, which covers up to $500 in cost for any screen repairs.

Check out the full Amex Platinum Edge Card Review to learn more about these benefits.

If you would like to add this card to your wallet, here’s the link to apply for the Amex Platinum Edge Card with a 50,000 points bonus and $0 annual fee in the first year.

Disclosure : If you apply for the card using links in this post and are approved, pointsHq or it’s related entity may receive some referral points.

Qantas American Express Discovery Card

If Qantas points are the primary points currency you earn, this no annual fee card nicely fits the bill. Being a fee free card, it does not normally offer a welcome bonus.

For a limited time though, Amex have sweetened the deal and are offering a welcome bonus of 10,000 Qantas points.

To get this:

• You need to Apply online by 20th October 2021 and be approved.
• Spend a minimum of $750 on the card within 3 months of your membership.

Redeem Qantas points to fly Qatar Airways Q-Suites

Beyond the 1st year bonus of 10,000 Qantas points, you will continue to receive the following:

• $0 annual fee for as long as you have the card and up to 4 additional cards for no extra fee.
• You will earn 0.75 Qantas points per dollar on eligible spends, except spends on Govt related transactions where the earnings drop to 0.50 points per dollar.
• You will earn 1.75 Qantas points per dollar on eligible spends with Qantas. These include purchases such as Qantas flights and Qantas Club joining and annual fees.

Check out the full Qantas American Express Discovery Card to learn more about these benefits.

If you would like to add this card to your wallet, here’s the link to apply for the Qantas American Express Discovery Card with a 10,000 Qantas points bonus.

American Express Velocity Escape Card

If you are in the market for a no annual fee card and prioritise earning Velocity points, this is a card you should strongly consider. Similar to the Discovery Card, this card does not normally offer a welcome bonus.

For a limited time though, there is an opportunity for new cardmembers to pocket 10,000 bonus points in welcome bonus.

To get this:

• You need to Apply online by 13th December 2021 and be approved.
• Spend a minimum of $750 on the card within 3 months of your membership.

Redeem Velocity points to fly Singapore Airlines Business Class

Some of the ongoing rewards and perks of this card are:

• $0 annual fee for as long as you have the card and up to 4 additional cards for no extra fee.
• You will earn 0.75 Velocity points per dollar on eligible spends, except spends on Govt related transactions where the earnings drop to 0.50 points per dollar.
• You will earn 1.75 Velocity points per dollar on eligible spends with Qantas. These include purchases such as Virgin Australia flights and holiday packages.
• Refund and Purchase Protection.

Check out the full Velocity Escape Card Review to learn more about these benefits.

If you would like to add this card to your wallet, here’s the link to apply for the Amex Velocity Escape Card with a 10,000 Velocity points bonus.

In Conclusion

American Express are serving a veritable feast of points on three no annual-fee cards. There’s a smorgasbord of Membership Rewards Points, Qantas points and Velocity points on offer, which I suspect will satisfy the fussiest of points and miles collector.

I should stress that Amex applies a strict criteria in determining the eligibility for welcome bonus. Basically, anyone who has held an American Express card in the past 18 months is excluded, note that this does not include the two David Jones Amex cards.

While all three cards have an appeal depending on who is getting them, personally speaking, if there was one card I could pick, I will make it the Amex Platinum Edge for the wide utility of Membership Rewards points and the $200 in travel credit which completely wipes out the annual fee.

Apply here for the 50,000 points bonus on the Amex Platinum Edge Card.