Credit card welcome bonuses in 2026, and the rules that decide if you get one

A credit card welcome bonus is paid only when two things are true: the issuer’s rules still allow you the bonus, and you reach the minimum spend with purchases that count, inside the deadline. Most people who miss out fail on one of those two, not on their credit score. The rules differ sharply between issuers: one bank gives you a fresh bonus after 24 months, another after 48 months, and some effectively only once in your life. This guide sets out what each big US issuer actually publishes, as read on their card pages on 27 September 2026.

The current offers and what they ask

The size of a bonus matters less than whether the spend fits your normal budget. These are the offers each issuer’s own card page showed on 27 September 2026. Issuers note that offers can differ by page and change at any time.

The last column is the useful one. If your card bills are normally $1,000 a month, a $6,000-in-three-months bonus is not a bonus for you: you would have to find $3,000 of extra spending. Pick an offer whose monthly figure you already reach.

The once-only rules, issuer by issuer

Every issuer limits how often you can earn the same bonus, and each writes the rule differently. This is the wording that decides whether you get paid, summarised from each card’s own terms.

Two changes stand out in 2026. Chase’s Sapphire wording is now per card and open-ended, with no 48-month window on the page, and it no longer refers to a Sapphire “family”. And Citi runs two different rules at once: a lifetime rule on the Strata Premier and a 48-month rule on the Double Cash. Both Chase and Amex also say they may look at your wider history, including, in Chase’s words, “the number of cards you have opened and closed”.

What counts towards the minimum spend

Only ordinary purchases count, and each issuer publishes a list of what does not. Chase’s definition, the most detailed, excludes balance transfers, cash advances, cash-like transactions including cryptocurrency, betting, person-to-person and account-funding transfers, checks, interest, fraudulent charges, and all fees, including the card’s own annual fee.

• Amex excludes fees and interest, travelers checks, prepaid cards, gift cards, person-to-person payments and cash equivalents. It also warns that returning purchases you made to reach the threshold can cost you the points and your accounts.
• Citi’s general rewards rule is that only purchases earn points, excluding balance transfers, cash advances, checks, returns, interest and fees. The Strata Premier page does not say whether the same list applies to the bonus threshold. The Double Cash page names only balance transfers.
• Capital One’s Venture page does not define which transactions count towards the $4,000. If you are relying on something unusual, ask Capital One before you spend.

The practical rule: if a transaction is not buying a thing or a service from a merchant, assume it will not count.

How to hit the spend without wasting money

The honest way to earn a bonus is to apply just before spending you were going to do anyway. Flights and hotels for a planned trip, a large annual insurance bill, or moving house can cover a $4,000 or $5,000 target without a single extra purchase. Add your regular bills to the new card for the three months, and set a reminder for the deadline.

What does not work is spending to chase the bonus. Buying things you did not need turns a “free” 75,000 points into a real cost, and carrying a balance is worse. A $5,000 balance at 25% APR costs about $104 a month in interest by our arithmetic, so three months of it wipes out much of a typical bonus. If you cannot pay in full each month, a card built for low interest, such as those in our guide to 0% APR cards, will do more for you than any bonus.

When the points arrive

Bonuses are not instant. Amex says the Platinum’s points post 8 to 12 weeks after you reach the threshold, and Amex shows the exact Platinum offer only after approval, before you accept the card. Keep the account open and in good standing until the bonus lands; issuers can withhold it from a closed or delinquent account.

Which bonus to go for

Choose the card first and the bonus second. A big bonus on a card that does not fit how you spend gives you one good year and then an annual fee you resent. Our complete guide to travel credit cards helps you pick the right card; the best travel cards by traveller type and Sapphire Preferred vs Reserve compare the most popular ones; and the annual fee break-even maths tells you whether year two is worth keeping.

Keep reading

Sources: the card pages and offer terms of Chase (Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, Freedom Unlimited), American Express (Platinum), Capital One (Venture Rewards) and Citi (Strata Premier, Double Cash), all read on 27 September 2026, including the pages’ own offer terms for eligibility and qualifying purchases. The monthly spend and interest figures are our own arithmetic. This is general information, not financial advice; offers and terms change, so confirm the current terms with the issuer before you apply. No card issuer pays us for placement on this page.