Take a Piece of the Pie – Credit Card Referral Bonuses

While applying for credit cards is one of the fastest ways to accumulate large quantities of points and miles, let’s remember that it is not the only way and that there are some other very effective means that should be explored further…

I first introduced Non-Credit Card Earning Options back in January and today I would like to expand on one option in particular –  Credit Card Referral Bonuses.

Remember, credit card companies are always looking to grow their presence in order to grow their bottom lines! They are so eager to do so that they are even willing to break you off a piece of the pie. Okay, so it may be a small and insignificant piece in the credit card companies’ view, but I love pie and will gobble up every slice I can get my hands on…

So, hopefully that metaphor didn’t lose you, but what I am trying to illustrate is that you can earn point and mile bonuses for referring friends and family to credit cards that you already have in your wallet! This is a great way to introduce your friends & family to a valuable credit card (and perhaps a rewarding sign-up bonus), while also benefiting yourself upon their approval!

While it would be terrific if every credit card from every credit card issuer offered a referral bonus opportunity, it has been my experience that it is much more limited, with really just two credit card issuers – Chase and American Express – getting in on the action. That is fine by me, especially since Chase and American Express happen to be two of my favorite issuers in the game!

Although  I am sure there are some targeted referrals out there from issuers like Citi and Barclays, I will keep it to Chase and American Express for now and show you how you can refer a friend and earn points/miles in the process!

Chase Bank:

First, head to the Chase Refer A Friend site and input your info (you can do this for each Chase card that you have):

 

You may have a referral opportunity:

Or you may not…

However, if you do have a referral opportunity, you can enter names and email addresses of your friends and family, or my suggestion would be to click the twitter link – even if you don’t plan to tweet! Clicking this will present you with your exact offer’s URL link, which you can then copy and provide to your friends and family! The twitter link is definitely the fastest way, since the email referrals sent by Chase can take quite some time for Chase to send (and sometimes they are never sent at all).

 

American Express:

Logon to your American Express Online Profile:

Scroll all the way down to the bottom and click the Refer a friend link (towards the right):

Pick the card you want to send referral links for and input first names and email addresses of your friends and family (the email feature works much better on American Express than Chase):

American Express will  confirm of your referral:

Final Thought:

Referral offers are a great way to help your friends & family members (and yourself) take advantage of some great credit card sign-up bonus offers and ongoing benefits! Note – your friends and family must actually click through your referral link (and be approved) in order for any referral bonus points to be rewarded – there is no option to simply mention “my friend Sally referred me” and receive any referral bonus.

Remember that referral offers vary and might not always be available, and occasionally they don’t provide the best version of the card’s current sign-up bonus, so definitely be aware and pay attention to bonus listed on the referral offer to make sure you are providing your friend the best deal!

Send any questions or comments over to accountingyourpoints@yahoo.com and I will do my best to solve all your problems (hopefully limited to credit card and travel problems)!

Happy Travels!

DW