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Chase Rumors: Increased Minimum Spending & Possible Higher Bonuses

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    Via View From the Wing, there may be changes coming soon to the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

    It’s rumored that the minimum spending requirement for the card is about to increase.  Currently, you’ll get a sign-up bonus of 40,000 points (worth ~$500 or more in travel) after spending $3,000 in the 1st 3 months.  But some folks are seeing referral offers which increase the minimum spending by $1,000 to $4,000 within 3 months.

    I’ve called a couple of Chase branches and they’ve verified that the card will be modified next week.  And I wouldn’t be surprised if other Chase cards are changing, too.

    Is the Minimum Spending Requirement on the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card About to Increase?

    So is now the best time to apply for the card?  Let’s take a look.

    This Has Happened Before

    Link:   Chase Sapphire Preferred

    The Chase Sapphire Preferred is 1 of my favorite credit cards because you can get so much travel from the sign-up bonus and from day-to-day spending on the card.

    Chase Ultimate Rewards points are valuable because they transfer to airline, hotel, and rail partners at a 1:1 ratio.  So this is a good card for folks looking for flexibility in how they use their points.
    Chase Ultimate Rewards Points Can Get You LOTS of Big Travel With Small Money

    Chase has adjusted both the sign-up bonus and the minimum spending requirement on the Chase Sapphire Preferred card in the past.  And it sounds like this will happen again.

    In the past, the minimum spending requirement has gone up and down by $1,000, so I suspect the coming changes will be similar i.e. the spending will change by $1,000.  Currently you’ll get the sign-up bonus after spending $3,000 in the 1st 3 months.

    Keep in mind, other Chase cards require higher spending to get the sign-up bonus.  For example, you’ll get 50,000 points from the Chase Ink Plus after spending $5,000 in the 1st 3 months.

    I hope they don’t increase the spending requirement as high as the Chase Ink Plus.  But if they do, remember there are lots of ways to meet minimum spending requirements by paying bills and loans you’d normally pay anyway.

    Oops! There Are Other Ways to Meet Minimum Spending Requirements. DON’T DO THIS AT HOME!

    So if you’ve been thinking about getting the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, now might be the best time to do it if you’re concerned about meeting a higher spending requirement.

    What About Other Cards?

    Link:   Chase Freedom

    Exactly this time last year, Chase increased the sign-up bonus on the Chase Freedom card after you spent $500 in the 1st 3 months.  Normally, the bonus is 10,000 points ($100 cash back).

    Typically, we’ve seen the increased bonus on this card come around every ~6 months or so.  And often changes are made to the Chase Sapphire Preferred and the Chase Freedom at the same time.

    So it wouldn’t be unheard of to see an increased sign-up offer for the Chase Freedom card very soon.

    I like the Chase Freedom card because you can earn 5 points per $1 you spend (5% cash back) on quarterly rotating bonus categories.  This quarter, you’ll get the bonus on purchases made at Amazon.com, Zappos.com, and select department stores.  And there’s currently no annual fee!

    Earn 5X Points With the Chase Freedom This Quarter at Amazon.com, Zappos.com, and Select Department Stores

    So folks could really make the most of the Chase Freedom category bonuses by using their card for holiday shopping this quarter.  And if the sign-up bonus increases, it’s an even sweeter deal!

    Bottom Line

    It’s rumored that the minimum spending requirement for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card will increase very soon.  Currently, you’ll get the 40,000 point sign-up bonus after you spend $3,000 in the 1st 3 months.

    But I’m not sure what the increased requirement will be.  It could be $4,000 within 3 months from Monday!

    And I suspect we might see changes (the good kind!) to the Chase Freedom card, too.  That’s because they usually increase the sign-up bonus every ~6 months, and it happened right around this time last year.

    Stay tuned for updates!

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