Getting a welcome bonus from a new card is one of the fastest ways for us to help you build a big pile of points and miles. Instead of waiting a long time for small rewards to add up, you can earn a large bonus in just a few weeks if you plan your spending well.
We are talking about tens of thousands of points in flexible rewards programs and travel miles. You can later turn these into flights, hotel nights, or even a dream vacation you have wanted for years. When you understand how a minimum spend works, the bonus feels less scary and more like a clear goal you can hit.
Most welcome offers ask you to spend a certain amount, usually around $3,000 to $5,000, in the first few months after you are approved. The important detail is that the clock usually starts on the day you are approved, not the day the plastic card arrives in your mailbox.
After you pass that spending requirement, the bonus usually does not show up on the same day, but it also does not take forever. In many cases, your rewards post after the statement where you reached the requirement closes. That means the points often show up shortly after that billing cycle ends.
We want to be very clear about one thing. We never want you to open a new account only for the bonus or to spend money that is not in your budget. You should still pay your bill in full, avoid interest, and treat your card like a tool that helps you, not something that controls you. The points and miles should feel like a small extra gift on top of purchases you were already going to make.
1. Match New Cards With Big Planned Bills
One of the easiest ways to reach a minimum spend is to open a new card right before a large expense you already know is coming.
Think about the big costs on your calendar. This might be a new phone or laptop, furniture, a home appliance, a wedding deposit, tuition, a major car repair, or a home project you want to finish. When you know one of these larger bills is coming, that can be the perfect time to apply for a new rewards-earning card.
If you can place one large charge on the new account, you might cover most or even all of the minimum spend with that single purchase. Instead of trying to put many tiny purchases on the card, you let one planned expense do most of the work.
A simple way to plan this is to write down the minimum spend amount and the deadline as soon as you are approved. Then look ahead a few months for any big payments. If one of those payments falls inside that time frame, you can time the application so the approval date lines up with that known expense.
If you are sharing a big purchase with family or friends, you can offer to put the full amount on your card and have everyone send you their share by bank transfer or another method you all use. Only do this with people you trust. Keep a list of who owes what and make sure the total is an amount you could cover for a short time if someone is late paying you back.
2. Run Work Expenses Through Your New Account
If your job lets you pay for certain work costs and then pays you back, that can be one of the strongest tools for reaching a minimum spend.
Work expenses like plane tickets, hotel stays, rental cars, conference fees, rideshares, client meals, office supplies, and equipment can add up quickly. When your employer’s rules allow it, you can pay with your new card, turn in the receipts, and then use the money you get back to pay the bill. Your spending counts toward the welcome offer, but you are not adding extra personal costs.
Before you start doing this, read your company policy. Some employers require a special work payment method, while others are fine with you using your own account as long as you follow the rules and turn in receipts on time. Staying inside those rules keeps everything smooth at work.
If you are self-employed or run a small business, you may be able to use a business-focused product that earns extra rewards on categories like travel, shipping, online ads, or software. That can help you earn more points while you work toward the minimum spend. Just make sure you keep business records and personal spending clearly separated so tax time does not become a problem.
Even if your employer books most of your travel directly, you might still be able to use your own card for smaller costs on the road such as meals, checked bags, or ground transportation. You can later get reimbursed for these. Each one of those charges pushes you a little closer to your spending goal.
3. Use Big Regular Bills Like Taxes, Tuition, Or Rent
Many people do not realize how many large, regular bills can be paid with a card through online services.
In some places, you can pay federal or state taxes through third-party payment sites that accept card payments. These services usually charge a processing fee, often a small percentage of the amount you owe. A fee is never fun, but if paying this way lets you unlock a large welcome offer worth hundreds of dollars in travel value, the tradeoff can sometimes make sense. It helps to compare the fee you will pay with the estimated value of the bonus before you decide.
If you pay estimated quarterly taxes or have a big tax bill once a year, you might be able to break that total into several payments during your bonus period. This gives you more control over timing so you can spread the spending across a couple of statements if that works better for your cash flow.
Rent is another large expense that can sometimes work in your favor. Some landlord portals and third-party rent payment services let you pay rent with a card. Some of them charge fees, some do not, and some are built mainly to help renters earn rewards. If your rent is high, even a single month paid this way can cover a big part of your minimum spend. Just read the fine print and only move forward if the extra cost is clearly smaller than the value of the bonus.
For tuition, childcare, or daycare bills, ask if the school or provider accepts card payments directly or through an approved online portal. Many do, especially when bills and records are handled online. When that option exists, you can send those big, necessary payments through your new account instead of paying by bank transfer.
4. Put Medical And Health Costs To Work
Health expenses are never fun to think about, but they can quietly help you reach a minimum spend when you plan for them.
Everyday health costs like dental cleanings, eye exams, prescription refills, specialist visits, lab tests, and planned procedures can easily add up to hundreds or thousands of dollars. If you know you have medical visits or treatments coming up, ask whether the provider accepts card payments so you can use your new account.
If you have a health savings account or a flexible spending account, one option is to pay for medical costs with your new card and then reimburse yourself from those health accounts later. You still get the tax benefits from the health account and, at the same time, you earn points or miles and increase your total spending toward the minimum. Always follow the rules for your specific plan and keep your bills and receipts in case you need to show proof later.
Some rewards products give stronger earning rates on broad everyday categories that can include health-related purchases. When that is the case, sending your health spending through those cards can be very helpful, because you are both moving toward the bonus and earning extra rewards for each visit.
5. Add A Trusted Helper As An Authorized User
Adding a trusted person as an authorized user can make it easier to reach a spending requirement, as long as everyone uses the account carefully.
When you add a partner, parent, adult child, or close friend as an authorized user, they receive their own card that is connected to your main account. Any purchases they make with their card roll into your total spending and earn rewards in the same pool.
Some products even give extra perks or small bonuses for adding an authorized user within a short time after opening the account. Before you add someone, take a few minutes to read your account terms so you know whether there are any extra fees or benefits tied to that choice.
The most important part is clear communication. You are the person who is legally responsible for every purchase on the account, including what your authorized user spends. Before handing over a card, talk through how it should be used, whether there is a spending limit, how quickly they will reimburse you if needed, and what you will do if a charge seems wrong. When everyone understands the rules, this can be a calm and low-stress way to share spending.
6. Buy Gift Cards You Know You Will Use
Gift cards can quietly help you move a lot of spending onto your new account without changing your normal habits.
If you regularly shop at the same grocery stores, gas stations, coffee shops, online marketplaces, or big chain retailers, you can buy gift cards for those places with your new card. Later, when you shop, you use the gift cards instead of paying directly.
From a budget angle, you are not really spending extra money. You are prepaying for purchases you already know you will make in the next few weeks or months. From a rewards angle, you are moving that spending into your welcome offer period and sometimes stacking category bonuses too.
For example, if your product earns extra points at supermarkets or fuel stations, you might buy groceries and a few store gift cards together in one trip. You can then use those cards for everyday needs, birthday presents, or holiday gifts. Just be careful not to buy more than you will actually use. You do not want a drawer full of forgotten gift cards that hold money you could use somewhere else.
7. Let Your Donations Help You Reach The Goal
Your giving can also help you reach a welcome offer if you time it well.
Most large charities and many smaller organizations accept online donations paid with a card. Some donation platforms process the payment without charging extra fees to you for using a card. This makes it easy to support a cause and work on your minimum spend at the same time.
When you use a rewards-earning account for charitable donations you already planned to make, you line up your money and your travel goals. The organization receives support, and you earn points or miles that bring you closer to free or cheaper trips in the future.
Before you donate, it can help to check whether the charity has a preferred payment method and whether any processing fee will be taken out for card payments. If there is a fee, compare that cost with the value of the welcome offer you are trying to earn so you can decide if it still fits your plan.
8. Cover Group Tabs And Shared Costs, Then Get Paid Back
Group activities and shared costs can add a lot of spending to your new account in a short time, as long as you handle them carefully.
When you are out to eat with friends, booking a vacation rental, buying event tickets, or planning a family activity, you can offer to put the entire bill on your card. Everyone else can then send their share back to you using a bank transfer or another method you all agree on.
One dinner out or a weekend stay can easily add a few hundred dollars to your minimum spend total without changing how much each person actually pays. The key is to write down what each person owes and to collect payments quickly.
Only use this idea with people you trust and with amounts that would not hurt your budget if someone takes longer than expected to pay you back. The idea is to boost your spending in a smart way, not to create stress with friends or leave yourself stuck covering too much of the cost.
9. Pay Yearly Subscriptions In One Shot
Many services you use all year give you a choice between paying every month or paying once a year. That yearly option can be very helpful when you are trying to reach a minimum spend early.
Streaming platforms, gym memberships, learning tools, digital storage, and meal delivery services sometimes offer a small discount if you pay for a full year in advance. When you choose the annual plan and put it on your new account, you are not changing what you buy. You are just changing when you pay for it.
We like this move because it is simple. You make one larger payment during your welcome offer period, then you can stop thinking about that bill for the rest of the year. You increase your spending total in a controlled way and enjoy the service without extra monthly charges.
Before you commit to an annual plan, ask yourself a few honest questions. Do you truly use this service enough to justify a full year? Would you still keep it if there were no welcome offer at all? If the answer to both is yes and it fits your budget, then paying annually can be a smart way to help reach your minimum spend.
10. Use Upcoming Trips To Finish The Spend
Travel plans are one of the most natural ways to meet a spending requirement.
Flights, hotel stays, vacation rentals, rental cars, train tickets, and some tours can all be paid with a card. If you already have a trip in mind for later this year, you can time your new account so that the travel bookings fall inside your minimum spend window.
Many rewards products offer extra points on travel purchases or when you book through a preferred travel platform. When that happens, you get three wins at once. You are paying for a trip you already wanted to take, you are meeting the minimum spend for a welcome offer, and you are collecting extra points on each travel purchase. Always read the most recent terms, because the way travel is coded and rewarded can change over time.
When we plan our own trips, we like to look at the next 6 to 12 months and find any big, cash-heavy travel on the calendar. If we see a large trip coming up, we ask whether opening a new account makes sense and whether we can reach the minimum spend in a responsible way using those planned travel costs.
Keep Learning With TheMilesAcademy
If you want help turning these minimum spend tricks into a full travel plan, we would love to see you inside our free TheMilesAcademy community. That is where we share simple guides, real-life examples, and step by step tips so you can feel more confident with points and miles.
Inside the community, you can ask questions, learn from other travelers, and see how people use welcome offers, smart timing, and everyday spending to reach their next trip faster. You do not have to figure all of this out alone.
You can also try our free card finder tool. It helps you sort through different types of rewards cards and match them with the way you already spend and travel. Instead of guessing which new card to open next, you get a clearer picture of which options might fit your goals and budget.
If you are ready to make your next welcome bonus feel easier and more organized, join our free TheMilesAcademy community and start using our card finder tool as your starting point for smarter rewards travel.
