We get a lot of questions from people about when the  card_name or the  card_name will have an elevated welcome offer. While we love to take advantage of elevated welcome offers, we also feel like waiting for one is not the right thing to do in most instances. Here’s why we say, “Don’t wait for that elevated welcome offer.”

 

There is No Crystal Ball

Honestly, there is no way to know when an elevated offer will come around. This winter has been way slower than last winter for elevated offers. We keep anticipating a new one, but we’re still waiting. In the meantime, if you wait, you could be missing out on earning valuable points and miles and having to postpone that vacation you were hoping to take.

 

 

There Will Always be Another Welcome Offer

In this hobby, sometimes you time it perfectly, and sometimes you don’t. Remember, it is a marathon, not a sprint, and other welcome offers will appear. Alex, Jess, and I have missed out on some elevated offers over the years, and we’ve taken advantage of some. In the long run, it has not changed our strategy at all.

If you consistently open new credit cards and build up a healthy stockpile of points and miles, those small increases that you miss out on won’t ruin your day. If we’ve missed one, we can usually take advantage of another one soon.

 

Take Advantage of Referral Bonuses

You can often compensate for missing an elevated welcome offer by taking advantage of referral bonuses. If there was a 90K offer on a card that is usually 75K, and you miss it, you may still be able to refer the card to someone else down the road and earn referral points on it, which will help mitigate what you missed on the higher offer.

 

Asking to Be Matched to an Elevated Offer

Even if you sign up for an offer and there is an elevated offer soon after that, many people have had good luck calling the bank issuer and asking to be matched to the elevated offer. It doesn’t work ALL the time, but it does quite often.  

 

 

Waiting Hurts 

Let’s say you are just starting and want to open the card_name. You’ve heard about increased welcome offers and decided to wait until one comes. Six months later, there is an increased offer. With all that spending in those six months, you could have gotten your points/miles on that card AND another card. That waiting just put you six months behind on your points and miles journey.

 

 

Bottom Line

While increased offers are exciting and a great way to boost your points and miles balances, don’t wait for that elevated welcome offer. Delaying your earning, delays that dream vacation. We hope that you take advantage of many welcome offers—just don’t feel like you have to wait for that elevated offer that could be months away!

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