Meeting Credit Card Spending Requirements: Strategies and Tips

15.03.2024 - 18:43 / insider.com / Airlines / Credit Card

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Opening a credit card and earning the sign-up bonus is one of the easiest and quickest ways to amass a ton of rewards points, cash back, airline miles, or hotel points.

To earn these valuable bonuses, you'll usually need to meet a spending requirement, meaning you must spend a specific amount within a certain initial timeframe. For example, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers a bonus of 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. That's worth around $1,080 in travel, based on Business Insider's points and miles valuations.

One of the best times to open a new rewards credit card is during the holiday season, when you've probably got significantly more expenses than usual.

Once you open a credit card, you only have one shot to get the welcome bonus. If you don't meet the requirement, you'll miss out on the bonus — and in some cases, you won't ever be eligible to earn the bonus again (even if you close and reopen the card). You should never go after a bonus that you're not certain you can achieve.

That said, there are a handful of practical strategies you can use to meet higher spending requirements than you might first think. Let's take a look at a few powerful ways to meet credit card minimum spending requirements.

This might seem like an obvious one, but all the same: It's often possible to use a credit card for purchases that you usually pay for with cash, check, or bank transfer. Concentrating all of your daily, weekly, and monthly spending on your new credit card — even small purchases like a cup of coffee — can help you hit the minimum spend by adding up, or pushing you over the edge if you're getting close.

Funnel all your spending through your new card — even if it means ignoring bonus categories from other cards. The most important card to spend on is the one with which you're trying to earn a welcome bonus. 

Many utility companies let you pay just about any amount, even if you're paying more than your current bill. While you may not be able to get any overpayments refunded, those funds contribute to your next statement. 

If you can comfortably float the money, you can pay for a few months' worth of utilities early in order to meet your minimum spend requirement if you're getting close to the deadline.

There are a few services that let you pay your rent or mortgage by credit card. The way they work is by charging your card, then printing and