These offers have expired so their links have been removed. Click here for the top current credit card sign up bonuses.

Recently, United and Delta have devalued their award charts. At the same time, the banks have really stepped up their offers for fixed-value bank-point cards that earn rewards ideal for economy class travel.

Researching another post, I tried to include a link to the Platinum Card from American Express Exclusively for Mercedes-Benz because it was the best personal sign up bonus for Membership Rewards at 50,000 Membership Rewards for spending $3k in three months.

If the Mercedes-Benz version of the card is dead, then the best Platinum card offers is the standard offer of 25,000 Membership Rewards after spending $2k in three months.

Sure there is a $450 annual fee--the Mercedes card had a $475 annual fee--but you can get easily more than $500 in statement credits plus worldwide airport lounge

The Business Gold Rewards Card from American Express OPEN is one of the best credit cards on the market with 30,000 bonus Membership Rewards after spending $5k in three months, several lucrative category bonuses, and automatic 5-10% discounts from dozens of companies through American Express OPEN Savings.

A new category bonus has been added to the card.

If you apply for both the personal and business card today, you'll have 60k Starpoints after meeting the minimum spending requirement after meeting the minimum spending requirement of $5k per card in the first six months.

Update: Several--if not all--of these offers have expired.

Update: American Airlines got rid of its RTW awards, so the best way to book RTW awards now is elucidated here.

Key Links:

Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® MasterCard®
Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express
Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express
Explorer Award chart (eliminated April 2014)
Explorer Awards: The Rules (eliminated April 2014)

Combined, the cards offer enough American Airlines miles for a round-the-world business class award with up to 15 stopovers.

You could take this trip in business

The 25,000 Starpoint bonus for opening the Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express and spending $5k on the card in the first six months is one of my absolute favorite bonus offers.

This post will explain how a couple can get 10 nights for free at a top-tier hotel in Hawaii plus First Class roundtrip flights all for about $150 per person total.

Hot on the heels of yesterday's Top Nine Credit Card Offers That Are About to Disappear, American Express has increased the sign up bonus on the Platinum Delta SkyMiles Business Credit Card to 55k SkyMiles and 20k Medallion Qualifying Miles after spending $5k in the first three months of cardmembership.

That means most people can get over 100k SkyMiles from only two cards, enough for a roundtrip business class award to Europe.

How can you get the deal? What are Medallion Qualifying Miles?

Update: Several--if not all--of these offers have expired.