Nick Ewen is TPG's senior editorial director and helps readers leverage credit cards (he has 23 of them) and loyalty programs to travel more for less. He's been at TPG for over 11 years.
Aug. 23, 2022 16 min read
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When you think about how to earn points and miles, the first things that come to mind are probably hitting sign-up bonuses/welcome offers, racking up everyday spending on credit cards or booking travel to earn points and miles in specific loyalty programs.
However, you can also rack up an impressive amount of points and miles each year simply by helping your friends and family get into the points and miles game. And now for the best part: referral bonuses are back for the Chase Sapphire Reserve, which is a popular card among TPG staff and readers. On this particular card, you can now earn 10,000 bonus points for each referral (up to 55,000 points per year).
Whenever I explain to my friends and family members how I travel so much (almost) for free, their eyes typically start to glaze over. It doesn't help that I start using terms such as award chart sweet spots and transferable point currencies, but it can all be overwhelming to those just getting started in the hobby — let alone those who see this as a totally foreign concept.
However, there are many ways for you to ease your loved ones into the points and miles game and get a little bonus for yourself at the same time.
Today, I want to go through my favorite ways to refer your friends and family members to various products and services plus earn miles, points or cash for yourself simultaneously.
Probably the most popular way to earn referral bonuses is through the credit cards you already have in your wallet. Without hitting spending requirements, all you have to do is share a link with friends and family, then you could earn hundreds of dollars in referral points each year. A couple of the major issuers make it very easy for you to refer friends or family members for select cards:
Many of American Express' most popular cards allow current account holders to earn bonus points. Even better, you can refer people for any Amex card — even if you don't have the card yourself. This means that I can refer a friend with a code from my The Platinum Card® from American Express, and my friend can choose from several Amex and Amex cobranded cards, rather than only being able to apply for the Platinum.
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To see if your cards are eligible, log in to your online account, select a card and scroll down past the account summary. If that particular card offers a referral credit, you should see a bar with an offer. Additionally, you can log into your account from Amex's referral page to see if your card has an eligible referral offer. Currently, Amex has a handful of elevated referral offers on some of its cards.
Here are just a few examples of Amex cards that are eligible for referral bonuses:
Capital One offers a referral program for a broad range of its personal credit cards. To get started, visit the issuer's refer-a-friend page and log onto your Capital One account to get your unique referral link to send to friends and family.
According to Capital One, you're eligible to send referral links for the following cards if your account is in good standing. Note that the bonuses will change depending on the card:
For example, if you own the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, your referral can currently earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. Based on TPG valuations, this bonus is worth $1,388. And you could earn 10,000 bonus miles per referral — or more, depending on what Capital One offers.
The information for the Capital One Savor card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Chase is another issuer that offers a referral bonus across many of its cards. A dedicated refer-a-friend page on the issuer's website lists the cards that offer referral bonuses. If you currently carry any of the applicable cards in your wallet, click on the "Invite friends now" icon and enter your last name, ZIP code, and the last four digits of your card. You can then share your personalized link or distribute it via email, Facebook or Twitter.
Here are the Chase cards currently offering referral bonuses:
Any of these would be a nice little bonus just for turning your friends and family members onto cards that you know and love.
If you're a Discover cardholder and your account is in good standing, you can refer your friends to get a statement credit applied to your account. The maximum referral limit and bonus amounts will depend on the card, but the statement credits will range between $50 and $100. Your referral must apply through your link and get approved for the card by Dec. 31, 2022.
The following Discover cards are eligible for this program:
Discover cards are popular beginner cards as they don't have annual fees, so it may be easier to convince your friends and family to apply.
The information for the Discover cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Another way to earn referral bonuses is through loyalty programs, including accommodations and transportation loyalty accounts. While these bonuses typically aren't as lucrative as credit card referrals, they don't require a friend or family member to sign up for a credit card — which could be a selling point for some friends and family who aren't looking to add a new card to their wallet right now.
Although Uber scrapped its referral program, Lyft still offers one. When someone signs up for Lyft through your referral link, you'll both earn ride credit (the amount will vary). You can accomplish this via the Lyft app:
DoorDash is a popular food delivery service that offers a sweet referral program. When someone signs up for DoorDash for the first time using your referral link and places their first order over $25, you'll get $10 in credits. Your referral will also get $20 off their first order. Note that these amounts can change at any time.
You can refer up to 25 friends for a potential of up to $250 in DoorDash credits with the current referral bonus. Once your referral meets the requirements, it can take up to 24 hours for your credits to be reflected on your account.
To get started, open your DoorDash app, click your profile photo in the upper left corner and press "Refer Friends" to get your link, shareable via email or text.
While you can't refer friends to Uber itself, you can refer to Uber Eats for food delivery. The bonus amount you and your friend will receive can vary, but it is possible to generate a referral link and a referral code. Typical offers can include your friend getting $20 off an order of $25 while you get $10 off a similar order. Here's how to refer via the Uber Eats app:
Marriott Bonvoy also offers a referral program. You can invite up to five friends each calendar year to join the Bonvoy program, and you'll each earn 2,000 bonus points per stay after their first five stays. With this program, you could potentially earn up to 50,000 bonus points — which are worth $400 according to TPG's latest valuations.
Head to Marriott's reward-a-friend landing page, hit "Send Invites," and fill out the form. You'll need to give the following information:
A third way to take advantage of referral bonuses is through select online shopping portals. If you aren't currently using these when you make purchases online, you're missing out on bonus points or even cash back in your pocket. Before I go to a merchant's website to shop online, I always start at an aggregator such as CashBackMonitor.com and evaluate which shopping portal has the best earning rate. Then, I'll log on to the site, click on the merchant and I'm off to earn extra points, miles or cash back.
Here are three of my favorite sites with referral programs:
My wife first introduced me to Ebates several years ago, and I've since earned hundreds of dollars through my regular online shopping by starting at the site. The site has since been rebranded to Rakuten, but the referral program remains in place. In addition to the standard earning rates you get through shopping, you can also earn referral credit when you invite friends or family members.
Unlike some of the others mentioned above, Rakuten regularly changes its referral program, generally every three to six months. Under the current scheme, when you refer someone and they spend at least $30 at a participating merchant, you'll receive $30 and your referral will get $30. Alternatively, you can earn Amex points per referral if you switch your earning preference to American Express Membership Rewards points.
Here's how to start the referral process:
This referral page also allows you to track the status of your referrals, including those you've invited (but haven't signed up), those who have signed up (but haven't made a purchase), and those who have signed up, made a purchase and qualified for a referral credit. The cash back you earn through the site, both on purchases and referrals, will be mailed to you every quarter (though you can also request to have it sent via PayPal).
If you're earning Membership Rewards, those will be deposited to your Membership Rewards balance with American Express on the same timeline.
Mr. Rebates is another cash-back site that I always check. The site works just like Rakuten in that you'll earn cash back on online purchases at hundreds of merchants. However, the referral program is a bit different. When a friend or family member signs up for the site, they'll get $5 and then you will get a bonus equal to 20% of their rebate every time they use the site. While this may not seem like much, every little bit helps.
Here's how to complete the referral process:
Any cash back you earn through the site will remain in Pending status for three months, at which point it will automatically convert to Available. As a result, you will need to manually request a check from Mr. Rebates when you're ready to redeem, though you must have at least $10 to do so.
A third cash-back site that allows referrals is TopCashback, which partners with nearly 3,000 online retailers and offers a cash-back guarantee. If you see a better rate elsewhere, you can submit a claim, and TopCashback will match that rate.
You can earn a one-time bonus of $35 when someone joins using your referral link:
Many companies offer you referral credits for bringing in additional customers, and the ones highlighted above are just a snapshot of some of the more popular options. I've found that less is more when it comes to newbies in the hobby, and by referring your friends or family members to specific sites that you use regularly, you're helping them get their feet wet.
After all, something as simple as clicking through an online shopping portal or opening and then using a single new travel rewards credit card can unlock an array of valuable rewards and help your loved ones get a taste of what you can do.
Additional reporting by Ryan Smith and Stella Shon.
Featured image by HERO IMAGES/GETTY IMAGESEditorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
