One of the sweetest things about a travel rewards credit card is its huge welcome bonus that gets you so much closer to your next award travel. But be forewarned, you might need to have a little patience. The time it takes for points or miles to hit your account varies from bank to bank.
See our best credit card bonuses here.
Some issuers will pay out your bonus the day after your statement closes. Others wait until the next billing cycle. To find out how long points and miles take to post to your account, keep reading!
Welcome Bonus. Chase says they’ll pay out your welcome bonus within six to eight weeks after you meet the minimum spend. But from what we’ve found, the bank will delay posting to your account if you meet the spend requirement too close to your statement closing date.
If you’re counting on those bonus points, don’t wait until the last minute to meet your spending requirement.
Regular Spend. You can track all your points on your Ultimate Rewards Activity Dashboard. Your rewards are “pending” points until the statement closes. They’ll hit your Chase Ultimate Rewards® account usually the day after statement close.
CHASE SAPPHIRE PREFERRED® CARD
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card currently has an offer for 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Redeeming the 60,000 bonus points through the Chase Ultimate Rewards program, which is praised by users, will get you $750 in value towards travel. The 60K bonus points are worth $750 because you get 25% more value whenever you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
Even better, strategize with Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer partners to potentially get even more value. Each point can be worth up to 2 cents apiece (60k points = ~$1,200). Read more on this here.
Welcome Bonus. Amex states that they’ll pay your welcome bonus eight to twelve weeks after you meet the minimum spend. But from what we gathered, the bank pays out bonuses on all their cards – both American Express Membership Rewards® cards and cobranded ones – within only a few days.
If Amex suspects that you’re “gaming” its cards, they will withhold your welcome bonus for up to several months. Gaming refers to buying large amounts of gift cards or other cash equivalents to reach the minimum purchase requirement.
Regular Spend. For Membership Rewards cards, your points will go into a “pending” state for a month before they post to your account when the following statement closes. So the points you earned before statement closing on January 30 won’t hit your account until the end of February.
If you don’t pay your credit card bill on time, you’ll forfeit the points earned. It’ll cost you $35 to reinstate them. Alternatively, you could push back your statement close date.
If you have a co-branded card, airline miles or hotel points are paid out at the statement close date.
THE PLATINUM CARD® FROM AMERICAN EXPRESS
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
The Platinum Card® from American Express has a special offer for 100,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 in purchases within your first 6 months.
Membership Rewards® points are some of the most valuable in the market. Redeeming these points by booking travel through American Express or by redeeming for gift cards will give you a standard 1 cent per point value. The 100k bonus points are worth $1,000 going this route.
You can potentially get more value by transferring your points to Membership Rewards travel partners. Using this strategy can get you up to an average value of 2 cents per point. Get around $2,000 in value with 100,000 points this way. Read more on this here.
With this card, earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.
The biggest drawback to this card is the $695 annual fee (see Rates & Fees, Terms Apply), which puts it in the premium class of credit cards. The card has a market because it offers premium travel benefits, such as 5X points for flights (up to $500,000 on these purchases) and eligible hotels, access to 40+ Centurion Loung and Studio locations worldwide, up to $200 airline fee credit annually, and an annual Walmart+ membership. These benefits are given as statement credits.
For frequent travelers, the added benefits make sense in terms of value and added luxury.
Welcome Bonus & Regular Spend. Officially, Capital One pays out their welcome bonuses within two billing cycles of meeting the minimum spend. In most cases, however, the bonus and your regular spending rewards are paid out the day after the statement closes, or soon after.
CAPITAL ONE® VENTURE® REWARDS CREDIT CARD
The Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card currently earns 100,000 bonus miles when you spend $20,000 on purchases in the first 12 months from account opening. Or if are unable to meet the $20k spending requirement, you can still earn 50,000 bonus miles for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months. These bonus miles are equal to $1000 or $500, respectively, in travel and are easy to redeem as a statement credit towards the cost of your travel purchases. Take advantage of Capital One’s travel partners and these up to 100k miles can be worth around $1400 in value.
This card will earn an ongoing 2 miles for every dollar you spend on all purchases. 100 miles is equal to $1 in travel rewards. If you don’t redeem towards travel purchases, your miles will have less value.
The annual fee is $95.
Welcome Bonus. Citi states that they’ll pay welcome bonuses eight to ten weeks after you meet purchase requirements. However, most people get their bonuses – for both Citi ThankYou® Rewards cards and cobranded ones – within two days after statement closing.
Regular Spend. The points you earned will usually hit your ThankYou account the day after your statement closes.
CITI PRESTIGE® CREDIT CARD
The Citi Prestige® Card has a 50,000 bonus points offer. Spend $4,000 within 3 months of account opening to qualify. These 50k bonus points are worth $500 in travel.
For the most value out of your points, redeem for flights through Citi, where your bonus will be worth 1.33 cents per point. This is another card that competes in the premium travel category, and the annual fee will signify that at $495.
In effect, this card is only a good option for frequent travelers who can take advantage of the premium benefits : 5X points on air travel & restaurants, 3X points on hotels & cruise lines, $250 Air Travel Credit annually, and free access to 1,300+ airport lounges with Priority Pass Select. For those in this niche market, this card will provide high perceived value.
Welcome Bonus. According to Bank of America, welcome bonuses are paid out in approximately six to eight weeks after you meet the minimum spend. In reality, most people see their bonuses post right after the statement close date.
Regular Spend. Your points or miles will immediately show up as “pending” and will hit your account the next billing cycle.
BANK OF AMERICA® PREMIUM REWARDS CREDIT CARD
The Bank of America Premium Rewards credit card offers a sign-up bonus of 50,000 points when you spend at least $3,000 within the first 90 days. These points have a $500 redemption value.
The card offers unlimited 2 points for every $1 spent on travel and dining purchases and 1.5 points for every $1 spent on all other purchases. Also, consider the Bank of America Cash Rewards credit card if you would like the following travel benefits:
- $100 Airline Incidental Statement Credit annually.
- $100 Airport Security Statement Credit towards TSA Pre✓ or Global Entry Application fee, every four years.
It’s especially worthwhile if you’re a Preferred Rewards client, where being a loyal customer translates into attractive relationship bonuses.
There are no foreign transaction fees and the annual fee is $95 for this card.
Welcome Bonus & Regular Spend. According to U.S. Bank, your points will hit your account in six to eight weeks. In reality, rewards are paid out when the monthly statement closes.
Welcome Bonus. Wells Fargo will pay out welcome bonuses within one to two billing periods after you meet the spend requirement.
Regular Spend. Your rewards will show as “pending” in your account until the day after your billing cycle ends. So points earned before January 15 for a billing cycle ending January 30 should be available on January 31.
We gathered the above information from public sources. The time it takes for points or miles to hit your account varies from bank to bank and is subject to change without notice.
Bottom Line
Now that you know how long it takes for points and miles to hit your account, you can plan your earning and burning better. The next time you apply for a new credit card with a welcome bonus, make sure to keep this post handy for reference.
READ MORE: SEE THE BEST BANK BONUSES HERE AND THE BEST INVESTING BONUSES HERE.
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