4 heavy-hitting hotel rewards cards are offering the highest welcome bonuses we've ever seen - but you only have weeks to get them

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Marriott

The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort, a Marriott property.

• There are four hotel rewards credit cards that currently offering their highest-ever welcome bonuses: the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card, the IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card, the Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card, and the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card.
• However, these bonuses - which range from 100,000 to up to 120,000 points - are only available for a little while longer. Some of the offers end next week, and the rest end the week after.
• Read on to learn more and decide which is the best option for you - our top choices are the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant AmEx and the IHG Rewards Club Card.

March and April has been a bit of a renaissance period for hotel rewards credit cards.

Marriott has rebranded its three rewards credit cards and offered limited-time new member bonuses to mark the occasion, and the IHG credit card, which is often overshadowed by other brands' options, has had its highest-ever sign-up bonus on offer, presumably in an effort to raise its profile.

However, it looks like things are going to slow down by the end of the month. Each of these limited-time offers is coming to an end over the next few weeks. That means that if you've been thinking about earning a large credit card welcome bonus to cover some hotel nights, now is the best time to apply.

The Marriott Bonvoy cards offer 100,000 points after spending $5,000 in the first three months, while the IHG card offers up to 120,000 points, broken into two sections: 80,000 points after spending $2,000 in the first three months, and another 40,000 points when you spend an additional $3,000 within the first six months - in other words, a total of $5,000 in the first six months.

Read on to learn more about each of the credit cards with these limited-time offers.

Read more: 8 of the best credit card offers this month - including two huge hotel bonuses that end soon

1. Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card

American Express

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant AmEx.

Welcome bonus: 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points (after spending $5,000 in the first three months). Offer ends April 24.

Last month, Marriott wrapped up a major rebranding of its loyalty program, combining it with the Starwood Preferred Guest program to create a single entity: Marriott Bonvoy.

The various terms and benefits of the program are virtually unchanged from what took effect in August, when the two separate programs were brought under a new single set of benefits.

The biggest changes under February's rebrand came to the Bonvoy's rewards credit cards, which are issued by American Express and Chase. To mark the occasion, both are offering a big, limited-time promotion on the personal cards they issue.

AmEx issues the premium version of Marriott's credit cards, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card, formerly called the SPG Luxury Card. Until April 24, new cardholders can earn 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points when they spend $5,000 on the card in the first three months.

While the card has a high $450 annual fee, it's easy to get much more value from it than you pay for that fee - especially if you stay at Marriott hotels semi-frequently.

Right off the bat, the card offers up to $300 each year in statement credits for purchases at participating Marriott hotels, which can apply to room charges. That effectively brings the fee down to $150.

It also offers a free night award each year on your cardmember anniversary, which can be redeemed at any hotel that costs 50,000 points per night or under. The card also offers complimentary Gold elite status, and comes with a Priority Pass Select airport lounge membership.

The card earns 6x points at participating Marriott hotels, 3x points at US restaurants and on flights booked directly with the airline, and 2x points on everything else.

Click here to learn more about the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card from Insider Picks' partner, The Points Guy.

2. Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card

Welcome bonus: 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points (after spending $5,000 in the first three months). Offer ends May 2.

Between the yearly $300 of credits, and the annual anniversary free night, the Bonvoy Brilliant card from AmEx tends to represent a better deal for cardholders.

However, the downside to that card is that you'll have to pay a $450 annual fee. Sure, you'll get the value back from the various benefits and rewards, but you'll still have to float that fee at the top of each calendar year.

For people in that camp, Chase offers the mainstream version of the personal card: the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card.

The Bonvoy Boundless currently offers the same welcome bonus as the Bonvoy Brilliant - in this case, it ends on May 2.

Like the Brilliant, the Boundless offers a free night award each year on your cardholder anniversary; the difference is that it's only good on rooms that would cost up to 35,000 points per night, rather than 50,000. Fortunately, that still includes plenty of properties.

The Boundless card comes with complimentary Silver elite status. Silver doesn't get you as much as Gold, but it's still something. You'll get a 10% bonus on points earned, priority for late checkout, access to a dedicated customer service line, free Wi-Fi, and more. While it's not a published benefit, you may also be given preferential rooms. You can get Gold status if you spend $35,000 or more in a calendar year. You'll also get 15 qualifying nights' worth of elite credit each calendar year, making it easier to earn Gold status or higher through hotel stays.

The card earns 6x points per dollar spent at participating Marriott hotels, and 2x points per dollar on everything else.

Click here to learn more about the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card from Insider Picks' partner, The Points Guy.

3. Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card

Welcome bonus: 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points (after spending $5,000 in the first three months). Offer ends April 24.

Marriott's small business rewards card is issued by American Express, rather than Chase, but otherwise bears striking similarities to the Boundless card, except for its higher $125 annual fee.

The card offers a free night award each year on your cardholder anniversary, worth up to 35,000 points. Starting on March 28, you can get a second free night when you spend $60,000 within a calendar year.

The Bonvoy Business card earns 6x points per dollar spent at participating Marriott hotels, 4x points at US restaurants, gas stations, on US cell service paid directly to the provider, and on US purchases for shipping, and 2x points on everything else.

Like the Boundless, the card comes with 15 elite night credits and complimentary Silver elite status. If you spend $35,000 in a calendar year, you'll get upgraded to Gold status for the following year.

Click here to learn more about the Marriott Bonvoy Business card from Insider Picks' partner, The Points Guy.

4. IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card

Sign-up bonus: Up to 120,000 points (80,000 points after spending $2,000 in the first three months; an additional 40,000 points after spending a total of $5,000 in the first six months). Offer ends May 2.

IHG is the parent company of a handful of hotel chains, including Holiday Inn. The company has more than 5,600 properties around the world, making it the second-largest hotel brand, behind Marriott. IHG has a wide range of properties from budget options like the Holiday Inn Express, to luxurious Regent and InterContinental hotels and resorts.

IHG's Rewards Club program is often overlooked - I know I'm guilty of passing it over without a second look in favor of Hilton Honors or Marriott Bonvoy (and back in the day, Starwood Preferred Guest).

However, the program is worth a second look, and a newly increased sign-up bonus on its primary credit card offers a perfect opportunity.

Right now, the IHG Rewards Club Premier card has a sign-up bonus of up to 120,000 points that is broken up into two parts. First, you'll earn 80,000 points if you spend $2,000 in the first three months. Then, you'll earn the remaining 40,000 points when you spend an additional $3,000 within the first six months (for a total of $5,000).

Rooms can cost as little at 10,000 points per night, depending on the property and its location within a city. The bonus is enough to cover almost two weeks' worth of nights at a Holiday Inn Express - even some in prime markets - or two to four nights at top InterContinental locations.

The card earns 10x points per dollar spent at IHG hotels, 2x points per dollar spent at gas stations, grocery stores, and restaurants, and 1x point on everything else. It also comes with automatic Platinum elite status, which entitles you to a 50% bonus on points earned during a stay, complimentary room upgrades, late checkout when available, and guaranteed room availability with 72 hours' notice - helpful if you have a last-minute trip.

The Premier card offers an annual anniversary free night certificate that can be used at any category 1-7 hotel (hotels that cost 40,000 points per night or less). While that means that some of IHG's most premium locations are excluded, the certificate is still valid at a ton of locations all around the world.

For instance, I didn't have trouble finding properties in major cities like New York and Chicago during peak travel season - all charging well upward of $200 - that accept the free night certificate. That more than makes up for the card's $89 annual fee.

Click here to learn more about the IHG Rewards Club Premier from Insider Picks' partner: The Points Guy.

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