What is a good referral bonus?

A good referral bonus is anything where you can get extra rewards or cash-back for your referral! That said, if you can get 10,000 to 30,000 points, you’re in great shape. That’s roughly equivalent to $100 or $300 cash-back, depending on which credit card you have.

Do referrals help credit card approval?

Referrals generally do not help credit card approval. An applicant is typically subject to the same credit card application and approval criteria regardless of whether a referral link was used.

What is a referral bonus on a credit card?

A credit card referral bonus refers to an incentive offered by a credit card issuer to an existing cardmember to encourage their friends and family to also become a cardmember.

Does Citi offer referral bonuses?

Citi doesn’t usually offer a referral bonus for its credit cards. However, it may, from time to time, offer targeted invitations over email to earn referral bonuses. These are not publicly available, and it’s not clear how Citi decides who to target for these promotions.

Who offers referral bonuses?

The best credit card referral bonuses come from Amex and Chase. However, other banks including Capital One and Citi may also offer referral bonuses for select credit cards.

Does Chase offer referral bonuses?

Chase offers excellent referral bonuses. You can earn up to 20,000 points for each friend that gets approved. This includes the famous Chase Sapphire Preferred card!

Does Bank of America have a credit card referral bonus?

In general, Bank of America does not offer credit card referral bonuses. However, it has offered small referral bonuses for certain card products in the past.

The 75 Best Credit Card Referral Bonuses [2023]

The ways you can earn credit card points and miles are almost endless. These include credit card welcome bonuses, regular spending, and shopping portals.

Another way to earn lots of points quickly is to refer your friends to a credit card. By doing so, you’ll earn a credit card referral bonus.

However, this approach can be surprisingly involved due to policies and referral structures that differ from bank to bank.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to maximize credit card referral bonuses, as well as what referral bonuses you should expect from each card.

Table of contents

What Is a Credit Card Referral Bonus?
Current Referral Bonuses
Referral Bonus History
Final Thoughts

Table of Contents

What Is a Credit Card Referral Bonus?
Current Referral Bonuses
Referral Bonus History
Final Thoughts

What Is a Credit Card Referral Bonus?

A credit card referral bonus is a reward that banks and credit card issuers offer to cardmembers who invite their friends, family, and business colleagues to open a card.

Usually, referral bonuses are awarded in points, miles, or additional cash-back. For example, a referral bonus might be 15,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points, 10,000 Delta SkyMiles, or $100 cash-back.

You’ll generally only earn a referral bonus if the person you refer is approved for the credit card. If the person you refer gets denied, you will not earn a referral bonus.

Current Referral Bonuses

In this next section, we’ll walk you through the current referral bonuses across different banks and credit card products.

American Express

American Express is one of the most generous credit card issuers in terms of offering referral bonuses. Word of mouth is one of the best ways to grow membership and American Express takes full advantage of that principle.

With American Express, you can earn a referral bonus on any card your friend is approved for, not just the card product you referred from! For example, you can earn a referral bonus if you refer your friends from The Platinum Card® from American Express and they are approved for the American Express® Gold Card. In that case, you’d earn the referral bonus for the Amex Platinum card and they would earn the welcome bonus for the Amex Gold card.

Hot Tip: Check out our complete guide to Amex’s Refer a Friend program!

American Express might offer you targeted referral bonuses to help you earn more points from a referral, though there’s no way to predict who gets targeted for these.

Here is the complete list of referral offers from American Express:

Amex Card Product	Referral Bonus	Maximum Bonus per Year
Amazon Business American Express Card	$100	$550
Amazon Business Prime American Express Card	$100	$550
American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card	$100	$550
American Express® Business Gold Card	20,000 to 25,000 points	55,000 points
American Express Cash Magnet® Card	$100	$550
American Express® Gold Card	Up to 30,000 points	55,000 points
American Express® Green Card	7,500 points	55,000 points
American Express Platinum Card® for Schwab	$100	$550
The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card	7,500 to 12,500 points	55,000 points
The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card	10,000 to 15,000 points	55,000 points
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express	10,000 to 15,000 points	55,000 points
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express	$75	$550
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express	$100	$550
Business Green Rewards Card from American Express	7,500 points	55,000 points
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express	15,000 to 20,000 points	55,000 points
Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card	5,000 SkyMiles	55,000 SkyMiles
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card	5,000 SkyMiles	55,000 SkyMiles
Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card	7,500 SkyMiles	55,000 SkyMiles
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card	10,000 SkyMiles	55,000 SkyMiles
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card	10,000 SkyMiles	55,000 SkyMiles
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card	15,000 SkyMiles	55,000 SkyMiles
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card	15,000 SkyMiles	55,000 SkyMiles
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card	20,000 points	55,000 points
The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card	20,000 points	55,000 points
Hilton Honors American Express Card	20,000 points	55,000 points
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card	20,000 points	55,000 points
Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card	15,000 to 20,000 points	55,000 points
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card	15,000 to 20,000 points	55,000 points
Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card	15,000 to 20,000 points	55,000 points
Morgan Stanley Blue Cash Preferred® American Express Card	$100	$550
The Platinum Card® from American Express	Up to 45,000 points	55,000 points
The Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Goldman Sachs	$100	$550
The Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Morgan Stanley	$100	$550

Capital One

Capital One’s credit card game is quickly catching up to its peers American Express and Chase. As part of this effort, Capital One cardholders are eligible to earn referral bonuses.

With Capital One, you will only receive a referral bonus if whoever you refer is approved for the same product you have. Capital One offers cash-back referral bonuses on cash-back credit cards and miles referral bonuses on Capital One miles credit cards.

While most of the major Capital One card products are eligible for referral bonuses, its store cards and other co-branded products are not.

Here is the complete list of Capital One referral bonuses:

Capital One Card Product	Referral Bonus	Maximum Bonus per Year
Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card	$150	$500
Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card	$100	$500
Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card	$100	$500
Capital One SavorOne Rewards Credit Card	$100	$500
Capital One Spark Cash Plus Card	$100	$500
Capital One Spark Cash Select for Excellent Credit	$100	$500
Capital One Spark Classic for Business	$100	$500
Capital One Spark Miles for Business	10,000 to 20,000 miles	50,000 miles
Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business	10,000 to 20,000 miles	50,000 miles
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card	10,000 to 20,000 miles	50,000 miles
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card	25,000 miles	100,000 miles
Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card	10,000 to 20,000 miles	50,000 miles

Chase

Chase has a great referral program for its credit cards. Although its referral bonuses may change from time to time, Chase does not target specific customers with higher bonus offers. If Chase changes its referral bonuses, it does so across the board so that anybody with a certain credit card will be eligible for the same referral bonus as everybody else.

In addition, Chase has expanded its referral program — if you have a Chase card, you may be able to earn a referral bonus when your friend is approved for a product within the same card family. For example, if you have the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card and you refer a friend who signs up for the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card, you will still earn a referral bonus!

This isn’t applied uniformly, though. For example, Chase offers a referral bonus for its Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card cardholders only if their friends sign up for the same card — Chase Sapphire Reserve® sign-ups are not eligible.

Here’s what the table of current Chase referral offers looks like:

Chase Card Product	Referral Bonus	Maximum Bonus per Year
British Airways Visa Signature® Card	10,000 Avios	50,000 Avios
Chase Freedom Flex℠	$100	$500
Chase Freedom Unlimited®	$100	$500
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card	15,000 points	75,000 points
Chase Sapphire Reserve®	10,000 points	50,000 points
Disney® Visa® Card	100 Disney Rewards Dollars	500 Disney Rewards Dollars
Disney® Premier Visa® card	100 Disney Rewards Dollars	500 Disney Rewards Dollars
IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card	10,000 points	50,000 points
IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card	10,000 points	50,000 points
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card	20,000 points	100,000 points
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card	20,000 points	100,000 points
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card	20,000 points	100,000 points
Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card	40,000 points	200,000 points
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card	40,000 points	200,000 points
Ink Business Premier℠ Credit Card	Unknown	Unknown
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card	20,000 points	100,000 points
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card	20,000 points	100,000 points
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card	20,000 points	100,000 points
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card	20,000 points	100,000 points
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card	20,000 points	100,000 points
Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Card	2,000 bonus stars	10,000 bonus stars
United Club℠ Business Card	20,000 miles	100,000 miles
United Club℠ Infinite Card	20,000 miles	100,000 miles
United Quest℠ Card	20,000 miles	100,000 miles
United℠ Business Card	20,000 miles	100,000 miles
United℠ Explorer Card	20,000 miles	100,000 miles
United℠ TravelBank Card	20,000 miles	100,000 miles
World of Hyatt Business Credit Card	5,000 points	25,000 points
The World of Hyatt Credit Card	5,000 points	25,000 points

Citi

Citi doesn’t currently have a referral program for any U.S. credit cards. A referral program is offered to cardholders in countries like the Philippines, India, and Singapore, but it’s not available in the U.S. at the moment.

Referral Bonus History

Referral bonuses change all the time. These changes can happen on an individual or widespread basis.

What we mean by that is that on an individual basis, Amex may choose to target you for an increased referral bonus for a few months, while it might not offer any increased referral bonuses to other cardholders.

On the flip side, Chase will almost always offer the same referral bonus to all cardholders. It is extremely unlikely to offer a 15,000-point referral bonus to the public and a 20,000-point referral bonus to specific cardmembers.

So in this next section, we’ll share the highest-ever referral bonuses from each bank and card to give you an idea of whether you should wait for a better bonus or pull the trigger immediately.

American Express Referral Bonus History

American Express changes its referral bonuses the most often out of all the major credit card issuers.

American Express consistently offers limited-time, enhanced referral bonuses on its flagship cards like the Amex Gold card or the Amex Platinum card.

Here’s the complete list of historical-high referral bonus offers:

Amex Card Product	Highest Referral Bonus	Current?
The Amazon Business American Express Card	$100	Yes
The Amazon Business Prime American Express Card	$100	Yes
American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card	$100	Yes
American Express® Business Gold Card	20,000 to 25,000 points	Yes
American Express Cash Magnet® Card	$100	Yes
American Express® Gold Card	35,000 points	No
American Express® Green Card	7,500 points	Yes
American Express Platinum Card® for Schwab	$100	Yes
The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card	7,500 to 12,500 points	Yes
The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card	10,000 to 15,000 points	Yes
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express	10,000 to 15,000 points	Yes
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express	$125	No
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express	$100	Yes
Business Green Rewards Card from American Express	7,500 points	Yes
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express	15,000 to 20,000 points	Yes
Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card	5,000 SkyMiles	Yes
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card	5,000 SkyMiles	Yes
Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card	7,500 SkyMiles	Yes
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card	10,000 SkyMiles	Yes
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card	10,000 SkyMiles	Yes
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card	15,000 SkyMiles	Yes
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card	15,000 SkyMiles	Yes
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card	20,000 points	Yes
The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card	20,000 points	Yes
Hilton Honors American Express Card	20,000 points	Yes
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card	20,000 points	Yes
Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card	15,000 to 20,000 points	Yes
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card	15,000 to 20,000 points	Yes
Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card	15,000 to 20,000 points	Yes
Morgan Stanley Blue Cash Preferred® American Express Card	$100	Yes
The Platinum Card® from American Express	45,000 points	No
The Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Goldman Sachs	$100	Yes
The Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Morgan Stanley	$100	Yes

Capital One Referral Bonus History

Capital One offers targeted referral bonuses on a few of its credit cards and consistent referral bonuses on its other eligible cards.

Here’s the table:

Capital One Card Product	Highest Referral Bonus	Current?
Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card	$150	Yes
Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card	$100	Yes
Capital One Savor Rewards Credit Card	$100	Yes
Capital One SavorOne Rewards Credit Card	$100	Yes
Capital One Spark Cash for Business	$100	Yes
Capital One Spark Cash Plus Card	$100	Yes
Capital One Spark Cash Select for Excellent Credit	$100	Yes
Capital One Spark Classic for Business	$100	Yes
Capital One Spark Miles for Business	10,000 to 20,000 miles	Yes (targeted)
Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business	10,000 to 20,000 miles	Yes (targeted)
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card	10,000 to 20,000 miles	Yes (targeted)
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card	25,000 miles	Yes
Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card	10,000 to 20,000 miles	Yes (targeted)

Chase Referral Bonus History

Chase is currently offering all-time high referral bonuses on its most popular credit cards, including the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, the Ink family of cards, United cards, Marriott Bonvoy cards, and Southwest cards.

All of the highest-ever offers are current, with the exception of the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, which no longer has a referral bonus.

Chase Card Product	Highest Referral Bonus	Current?
British Airways Visa Signature® Card	10,000 Avios	Yes
Chase Freedom Flex℠	$100	Yes
Chase Freedom Unlimited®	$100	Yes
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card	20,000 points	No
Chase Sapphire Reserve®	10,000 points	Yes
Disney card	100 Disney Rewards Dollars	Yes
Disney® Premier Visa® card	100 Disney Rewards Dollars	Yes
IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card	10,000 points	Yes
IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card	10,000 points	Yes
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card	20,000 points	Yes
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card	20,000 points	Yes
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card	20,000 points	Yes
Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card	40,000 points	Yes
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card	40,000 points	Yes
Ink Business Premier℠ Credit Card	Unknown	Unknown
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card	20,000 points	Yes
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card	20,000 points	Yes
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card	20,000 points	Yes
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card	20,000 points	Yes
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card	20,000 points	Yes
Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Card	2,000 Bonus Stars	Yes
United Club℠ Business Card	20,000 miles	Yes
United Club℠ Infinite Card	20,000 miles	Yes
United Quest℠ Card	20,000 miles	Yes
United℠ Business Card	20,000 miles	Yes
United℠ Explorer Card	20,000 miles	Yes
United℠ TravelBank Card	20,000 miles	Yes
World of Hyatt Business Credit Card	5,000 points	Yes
The World of Hyatt Credit Card	5,000 points	Yes

Citi Referral Bonus History

Citi has never offered a publicly available referral bonus on its credit cards. However, in the past, Citi has sent out targeted campaigns, mostly over email and postal mail, for a few of its credit cards.

These limited-time promotions mark the extent of Citi’s referral bonus program in the U.S. for credit cards — here’s the complete historical list:

Citi Card Product	Highest Referral Bonus	Maximum Bonus per Year	Date Last Offered
Citi Premier® Card	10,000 points	50,000 points	March 2019
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite™ Mastercard®	10,000 miles	50,000 miles	March 2019
Citi® Double Cash Card	$100	$500	March 2019

Here’s hoping that Citi brings back a referral bonus program!

Final Thoughts

Despite how prevalent referral bonuses are in the world of credit cards today, we shouldn’t take them for granted.

The major credit card issuers offer excellent referral bonuses that can allow you and your friend to get rewarded for expanding your relationships with banks.

The exact structures and inner workings of each referral bonus may vary, but at a high level, the best referral bonuses come from American Express, Capital One, and Chase.

We’ll continue to update this guide with new referral bonuses, as well as the highest-ever referral bonuses to help you make the best game-time decisions possible on whether to refer now or later.

Keep this guide bookmarked if you’re referring often!

The information regarding the American Express Platinum Card® for Schwab, Morgan Stanley Blue Cash Preferred® American Express Card, The Amazon Business American Express Card, The Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Goldman Sachs, The Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Morgan Stanley, Capital One Spark Cash Select for Excellent Credit, Capital One Spark Classic for Business and United℠ TravelBank Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

The information regarding the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Capital One SavorOne Card Rewards Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Capital One Spark Cash Plus Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the American Express Cash Magnet® Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Business Green Rewards Card from American Express was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information for The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card has been independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Disney® Visa® Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Chase Disney Premier Visa® Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the United Club℠ Business Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

Information regarding the Capital One Spark Miles for Business was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Green Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amazon Business Prime American Express Card, click here.

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The 75 Best Credit Card Referral Bonuses [2023]

What Is a Credit Card Referral Bonus?