[Updated 2023.8] Chase has updated its refer system. After logging into your account, you can now go directly to the refer page from the right-hand side. Even better, referrals for all of your cards are now grouped together, which is very convenient. However, pay special attention: referrals for closed cards may still appear there, and you probably will not be able to receive the bonus for those, so do not waste your time.

  • Log in to your account and look for this page on the right-hand side. Or log in via this direct link
  • Then you will be able to see referrals for all of your cards; just select the specific card to view its referral bonus
  • Note that closed cards may also show up. For example, my UA card has long been closed, but it still has a referral link. Chase’s system probably did not account for this situation.

Introduction to Credit Card Refer a Friend Programs

Some credit card issuers offer Refer a Friend bonuses on certain cards in order to grow their business. If someone you refer is successfully approved for that credit card, you can receive a referral bonus. To track the referrer, you usually need to generate a special application link for your friend first. Only if they apply through that specific link can you receive the referral bonus. A few important things to keep in mind:

  • The approval odds are the same: Whether you apply through a referral link, directly through the official website, or through a third-party referral link, the approval odds are exactly the same. Banks do not give you any special treatment just because you used a referral link. Approval depends entirely on your credit report and credit score.
  • The sign-up bonus may be different: Most of the time, the sign-up bonus on a referral application link is the same as the current public offer on the official website, but there are occasional exceptions.
  • There is a cap, and taxes may apply: Referral bonuses are different from credit card cashback, and these rewards may be taxable. Banks generally cap total referral bonuses at under $600 so they do not have to proactively send you a tax form, but in theory, this income is still taxable. See also: Summary of tax issues for various kinds of rewards

Referring friends is a win-win situation. Instead of applying directly through the official site, it is better to ask whether a friend can refer you for the card. You may get the same or even a higher sign-up bonus, and your friend can also earn a bonus. If you are often able to convince friends to apply for credit cards, the referral bonuses you earn may far exceed the annual fee, so keeping these cards long term may also make sense.

However, each bank’s referral policy is slightly different, so let’s go through them one by one.

AMEX Refer A Friend

List of Credit Cards That Can Be Referred

AMEX is one of the most flexible banks when it comes to referral links. Most AMEX credit cards can be used to refer friends. The AMEX cards with referral bonuses are summarized below:

Membership Rewards (MR) cards can basically all be referred:

  • EveryDay Preferred (EDP): The referrer can receive 5,000-15k MR per person, with an annual cap of 55,000-100,000
  • EveryDay Card (ED): The referrer can receive 5,000-15k MR per person, with an annual cap of 55,000-100,000
  • Green: The referrer can receive 5,000-15k MR per person, with an annual cap of 55,000-100,000
  • Premier Gold (PRG): The referrer can receive 5,000-30,000 MR per person, with an annual cap of 55,000-100,000
  • Platinum Card (excluding other types of Platinum cards): The referrer can receive 10,000-30,000 MR per person, with an annual cap of 55,000-100,000
  • Platinu Schwab and other types of Platinum cards: The referrer can receive $100 per person, with an annual cap of $500-$1,000 (yes, other versions of the AMEX Platinum offer cash referral bonuses)

Cashback cards:

Airline co-branded cards:

  • Gold Delta Skymile: The referrer can receive 5,000-10,000 per person, with an annual cap of 55,000-100,000
  • Delta Platinum: The referrer can receive 5,000-10,000 per person, with an annual cap of 55,000-100,000

Hotel co-branded cards:

  • Hilton Honors: The referrer can receive 5,000-15,000 HH points per person, with an annual cap of 75,000
  • Hilton Honors Surpass: The referrer can receive 10,000-20,000 HH per person, with an annual cap of 75,000

In addition to standard referral bonuses, AMEX also sometimes runs promotions that offer extra rewards on spending. These can be quite valuable if useful to you, but they are usually only available for a limited time.

How to Get a Referral Link

AMEX recently updated the Refer a Friend interface. You no longer need to send a referral by email; you can now generate links directly through social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.

Your friend will receive an email within 5-10 minutes, and the Apply Now link inside is your referral link. Of course, copying the link directly is also very convenient.

Generating a Universal Link

Now, if you hold one AMEX card (assume type A), you can generally refer a friend—or yourself—to almost any AMEX card (assume type B). No matter what card is applied for, the referral bonus is based on the rewards available from the type A card. For example, if you have a Platinum card, you can refer a friend to Blue Cash EveryDay, and the Platinum cardholder can receive a 15,000 MR referral bonus. The specific steps are as follows:

  • Log in to your account as usual and generate a referral link
  • After clicking the referral link, your friend can go to All personal Cards and choose the credit card they actually want to apply for
  • Another method is to use the link you generated, find the link for the card B that your friend wants under all personal cards, and then send that B link to your friend to apply (copy the view details link)
  • After the application is approved, the referrer will usually receive the referral bonus in about a week. Whichever card you use to refer determines which card’s referral bonus you earn; it does not matter which card the referred person applied for.

When referring someone, we suggest first choosing a card with a high referral bonus, such as the Platinum or AMEX Gold card, and generating the referral link from that card. That way, you can earn more rewards. Of course, also pay attention to each card’s referral cap.

Do Not Self-Refer!

AMEX previously changed its referral system, and now one AMEX-issued card can refer applicants to any AMEX card (including co-branded cards). As a result, some people applied for AMEX cards by referring themselves (self-refer), letting them earn both the welcome bonus and an additional referral bonus. AMEX sent emails to some people who self-referred, saying that those points would be clawed back. So far, only people who self-referred multiple times have had points clawed back, while referrals between spouses have not been affected. From AMEX’s perspective, self-referring provides them no benefit: it does not bring in new customers, so they obviously do not want to spend money on that.

AMEX later took another round of action against prior self-referrals. Some people who had referred others plus referred themselves and had not previously had rewards clawed back also had their rewards clawed back in this round. In addition, there are reports that if you referred someone and that person closed the card within a year, your referral bonus was also clawed back. Even more concerning, some people whose self-refer rewards were clawed back by AMEX may now be unable to participate in referrals at all. The referral ad disappeared from the homepage, and the referral link in Amex Offers would not open either. Even removing cards with no self-refer history from the account and trying to refer by entering the card number directly did not work.

Customer service via online chat said it might be a system issue, which is certainly possible. If you have had rewards clawed back, you can try checking whether you are still able to refer.

There are also data points saying that newly opened cards can still refer, while older cards can no longer do so.

Referral Function Disappears

AMEX has had similar situations before, mainly banning self-referrals or referrals to family members living at the same address. However, this year, more people have had their referral function shut down. A common pattern is that the referral pages for Membership Rewards cards disappear entirely, while cashback cards such as BCE, BCP, and Platinum Schwab still have referral links, and co-branded Marriott and Hilton cards also still have referral links. Clicking into the referral page shows only non-MR card referrals; for cards like BCE, you need to go to each card’s own homepage to see them.

This is the normal refer-a-friend page.

At the moment, there do not seem to be any cases of the feature being restored after a ban. According to readers’ testing, if you report your card lost and replace it (you need to choose “lost card,” and you will get a new card number), the referral function may come back for a short time. It may disappear again later, but fortunately the referral link generated during that time can still be used for a while. If needed, you can try pretending to replace a card.

[Update 2023.3] I recently tried the card-replacement trick, and indeed all three of my MR cards that previously had no referral function got it back. In fact, the referral function appeared before I even received or activated the replacement cards.

Referral Shows 0

A small number of users are now seeing 0 points earned after receiving a referral, even though they have not reached their annual cap. So far, customer service has not provided a reasonable explanation, and all we can do is wait. This issue appears on referrals from MR cards.

My personal guess is that AMEX may be reviewing some referrals to determine whether the reward came from self-referring or whether the referred person obtained the welcome bonus through improper means. If we get more information later, we will update the results.

Save Referral Links

Based on current experience, if you save a referral link when the referral bonus is high (for example, by copying it into a txt file), the link will continue to work as long as that offer does not expire, and multiple people can use it. However, newly generated links in your account may show a different welcome bonus, and it could be lower. So when there is a high welcome bonus or referral bonus, try to save the link in case you need it later.

Features

  • Scope of referral links: Anyone holding the AMEX cards listed above can refer others to apply, and the referral link is always available.
  • Using referral links: The referral link address received in an email (you can right-click to copy the link address) can be reused by multiple people. So if you want to post it long-term or let many people use it, you can directly share that link address, or click the “apply now” button in the email and then copy the URL from your browser.
  • How long it takes to receive referral rewards: If the person you referred is successfully approved for the card, you will receive the referral bonus within 2-3 days. There is no need to wait for the statement.
  • Amount of referral rewards: For Membership Rewards and cashback cards, the welcome bonus from referral links is the same as or higher than the public offer, but it may be lower than the highest offer available through other methods. See: How to Find the Best AMEX Credit Card Offer. Referral links for airline and hotel co-branded cards are generally the same as the current best offer.
  • Limited-time increases in referral rewards: Referral rewards on airline and hotel co-branded cards do increase from time to time. For example, Hilton, Delta, and SPG co-branded cards have all had periods where referral rewards doubled, usually when the official site also increased the welcome bonuses on those cards. However, the annual total cap does not change.

Chase Refer a Friend

List of credit cards that can be referred

Among Chase-issued credit cards, the following cards can be referred:

Ultimate Rewards (UR) cards

Airline co-branded cards:

  • United Mileage Plus Explorer: The referrer can earn 5,000-10,000 UA miles per person, up to 50,000 per year
  • Southwest Premier: The referrer can earn 5,000-10,000 SW miles per person, up to 50,000 per year
  • Southwest Plus: The referrer can earn 5,000-10,000 SW miles per person, up to 50,000 per year

Hotel co-branded cards:

  • Chase Marriott Premier: The referrer can earn 5,000-20,000 Marriott points per person, up to 50,000 per year
  • Chase Hyatt: The referrer can earn 5,000-10,000 Hyatt points per person, up to 50,000 per year
  • Chase IHG (available to some people): the referrer can earn 5,000-10,000 IHG points per person, up to 50,000 per year

Business card lineup

  • Ink series: 20,000-40,000 referral bonus, capped at 100,000-200,000 per year

How to get a referral link

Chase referral links have always only been available to some people (targeted), and nobody really knows what the exact rules are. You need to click the following link:

Then enter your name and the last four digits of your card number to find out whether you are eligible to refer others.

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You can generate a referral link via Email, Facebook, or twitter. Email is strongly discouraged here, because it often takes a week to arrive.

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Generating a universal link

[2020.1 update] Chase credit cards can now generate referral links not only for the exact same card, but also for a whole family of similar cards. For example, Southwest cards can generate links for all Southwest co-branded credit cards, including the business versions. Chase Freedom and Unlimited can both generate referrals for both cards. AMEX previously shut down Self Refer and clawed back the rewards; not sure how aggressive Chase is on this front. Personally, I think referrals among family members are probably still fine.

Chase Freedom and Unlimited can both generate refer links for these two cards:

Cards that can generate family-wide refer links include:

  • Freedom family cards
  • Southwest: can generate refer links for the full lineup of co-branded cards
  • Chase Marriott co-branded cards: Marriott cards can also now refer within the Marriott family. At the moment, Ritz-Carlton, Marriott Boundless, and Marriott Bold can all refer Marriott Bold and Boundless. However, Marriott business cards can only be referred by business cards, though business cards can also refer all personal cards. Overall, it seems likely that eventually Chase co-branded cards of the same type will all be able to refer each other.
  • UA cards: can also refer other personal cards in the same family
  • Ink family cards

Referral bonus or welcome bonus match

Recently there have been some online DPs showing Ink cards getting matched to a higher referral bonus. In other words, a friend may have used a refer link that gave the referrer 20,000 points, but now there is a refer offer paying 40,000, and Chase matched the referrer up to the higher amount. If your refer was successful, you can try asking whether your referral bonus can be increased from 20,000 to 40,000. In addition, if you applied through a 40k refer link and got a 75,000-point bonus, you can also ask whether Chase will match you to the current public 90,000 welcome bonus. In any case, it is pretty easy to ask via secure message; just remember to attach screenshots of the offers.

Features

  • Who can generate referral links: only some users are eligible, and you need to check using the link above
  • Using the referral link: the referral link address in the email you receive (you can right-click to copy the link address), as well as the twitter and facebook links, can be reused for multiple people. So if you want to post it long-term or share it with many people, just use that link directly.
  • When the referral bonus posts: if the person you referred is successfully approved for the card, you may not receive the referral bonus for 4-6 months—yes, 4-6 months. The reward will first show up as pending points, and will only become available after the Statement closes.
  • Referral bonus amount: the welcome bonus through a referral link is usually the same as the current public offer. The only exception is the Southwest family, where the referral offer may be higher than the public offer.
  • Temporary increases to referral bonuses: referral bonuses do sometimes go up. For example, UA co-branded cards and CSP have both seen doubled referral bonuses, usually around the same time that Chase raises the public welcome bonuses on those cards. However, the annual cap stays the same.

Things to note

[2020.2 update] Chase updated the Refer terms for most cards and stated that if you use your own Refer link (Self Refer), you will not receive the reward. Since Chase has said this explicitly, we strongly recommend against self refer, and suggest asking friends or family to help each other instead. Once it is written into the terms, Chase has every reason to claw back the reward.

Discover Refer a Friend

List of credit cards that can be referred

  • Discover it: the referrer can earn $50-$100 per person, up to $500 per year
  • Discover Miles: the referrer can earn $50-$100 per person, up to $500 per year

One thing to note is that some cards generate referral links with a lower signup bonus of only $50, while some generate $100. Try not to shortchange people; if you have a $100 link, use that one for others. I have two cards myself, and only one of them generates the higher signup bonus.

How to get a referral link

Log in to the Discover website, and in the dropdown menu under Rewards you will see:

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You can generate a referral link via Email, Facebook, or twitter.

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Features

  • Who can generate referral links: all cardholders can refer
  • Using the referral link: the referral link address in the email you receive (you can right-click to copy the link address), as well as the twitter and facebook links, can be reused for multiple people. So if you want to post it long-term or share it with many people, just use that link directly.
  • When the referral bonus posts: if the person you referred is successfully approved for the card and uses it once, you will see the reward when that month's Statement closes.
  • Referral bonus amount: the signup bonus through referral is $50-$100, which is better than applying on the public website—there is no public bonus!

Barclays Refer a Friend

List of credit cards that can be referred

Recently, some users received emails saying they can now start referring JetBlue and Aviator cards.

Share the love. Earn up to 50,000 bonus points

When you refer a friend or family member for the JetBlue Card or JetBlue Plus Card, you'll earn 10,000 bonus TrueBlue points for each account that's approved by 11/30/22-up to a maximum of 50,000 points. So share the love-and the love of award travel.

Citi Refer a Friend

【Update 11/7】Citi has now also launched its own credit card referral system. Currently, you can refer friends for the Citi Double Cash, ThankYou Premier, and AAdvantage Platinum cards, and earn rewards of $100/10k TYP/10,000 AA miles. Unlike other referral systems, Citi requires you to specify the person being referred, and you must also enter their last name. The recipient of the referral email can only access the application through the fixed invitation code and the specified last name.

Capital One Refer a Friend

【Update 2019.7】In addition, some Capital One business credit card users are now receiving offers to refer Spark series credit cards. You can earn $200 per referral, up to $1,800. The welcome bonus available through a referral is the same as the current public offer. However, keep in mind that if you earn more than $600, you will definitely receive a 1099misc.

How Referral Rewards Are Taxed

This section only discusses my own analysis of how referral rewards are taxed. For specific tax filing advice, please consult a CPA.

As we mentioned earlier, regular credit card cash back and welcome bonuses are generally treated as rebates, so they do not need to be reported as taxable income and do not generate tax forms. However, Refer-a-Friend rewards are different from regular cash back and are treated as taxable income.

About 1099misc Forms for Referral Rewards

In practice, banks usually cap referral rewards on each card at under $600, so they do not have to proactively send you a 1099misc form, which is a tax form for miscellaneous non-employment income. However, in some special cases, your referral income may exceed $600. In that case, the bank is required by tax law to mail a 1099misc form to both you and the IRS reporting that income. If you receive this form, you must include that income on your tax return for that year.

Generally speaking, this type of referral reward usually does not appear in box 7 of Form 1099misc (nonemployee compensation, which is generally considered income from work). Instead, the amount usually appears in box 3, the other income section, similar to prizes or sweepstakes winnings, so there is no need to worry too much. When filing taxes, you can simply report it under other income.

When the Referral Reward Is Points or Miles

If the referral reward is cash, the amount is very straightforward. But many credit card rewards are issued as bank points, airline miles, or hotel points, so how do banks usually calculate your income in those cases? Based on some past data points, banks generally value points or miles at more than 1c/point, and sometimes even close to the price at which those points are sold.

Because the value of miles and points can be difficult to estimate, if you disagree with the bank's valuation, you can first contact the rewards issuer to see whether they can revise the amount. If that does not work, you can call the IRS to dispute it and explain that you disagree with the valuation shown on the 1099. The IRS will send a letter to the rewards issuer, and the issuer may then make an adjustment to the value assigned to the points. (HT: ViewFromWind)

Summary of Which Banks Issue 1099misc Forms

  • Discover: Because of the double rewards feature, if your first-year referral earnings on a new card exceed $300 (and then double to $600+ in the second year), Discover will issue you a 1099MISC form. If you have two Discover cards, the total will be reported together in box 3 of the 1099misc.
  • Chase: Recently, some people reported that Chase sent them a 1099misc form because of referrals for the Chase Freedom and Southwest credit cards (Reddit)
  • AMEX: Issued based on earnings from each card separately; MR and Hilton points are both valued at 1c/p on the tax form

【Update 2020.1】We have gradually received tax forms for 2019 referral income from Chase, AMEX, Discover, and Bancorp Bank, all of which were 1099misc forms. Here is a summary:

  • Chase: Ultimate Rewards and Marriott points are both valued at 1c/p for tax purposes. UA, Southwest, and Disney cards are probably treated similarly. So consider your own marginal tax rate; if it is too high, it may not be worth effectively paying out of pocket to refer others, especially for Marriott. The tax form lists your total referral income, as well as the total referral amount earned on each card (including the full card number).
  • AMEX: Membership Rewards and Marriott are valued at 1c/p for tax purposes; Hilton is valued at 0.67c/p; cash back is taxed based on the cash amount. Hilton is a huge trap here-if you need to report taxes, do not use Hilton referrals. Marriott is not great either. Fortunately, other AMEX cards can also generate Hilton referral links, so it is most cost-effective to generate them from an MR-earning card, such as Platinum or Gold. Each card has its own separate 1099misc tax form listing the referral income for that card (with the full card number).
  • Discover: Cash back is calculated based on the actual amount, and the form does not show the card number. The tax form shows only one total amount; for example, if you hold two Discover cards, you receive only one tax form showing the combined total from both cards.
  • Bancorp Bank: Referred one Chime card, and it was valued based on the actual amount.

Banks that have not sent tax forms so far: