Minimum Spend Requirement
A minimum spend requirement is the amount you must charge to a new card — typically $3,000-$6,000 within 3 months — to earn its welcome bonus. The Chase Sapphire Reserve's June 2026 offer requires $6,000 in 3 months; annual fees, returns, and cash advances do not count toward it.
The minimum spend is the fine print that decides whether a welcome bonus is realistic for your budget — and mistiming it is the most common way people lose four-figure bonuses.
How it works. The clock starts at approval (not card activation or first purchase). Qualifying spend means actual purchases: annual fees, balance transfers, cash advances, and refunded purchases don't count. As of June 2026, typical tiers run $3,000-4,000 for mid-range cards, $6,000 for the Sapphire Reserve's 150,000-point offer, and $8,000-15,000 for business cards like the Ink Business Preferred (100,000 points after $8,000).
Meeting it organically. Time applications ahead of large planned expenses — insurance premiums, tuition, taxes, travel, holiday shopping. Prepaying utilities or buying grocery gift cards for stores you already use pulls future spend forward without wasting money.
Example. A $2,000/month household easily meets $6,000 in 3 months by routing every bill through the new card — no extra spending at all.
Common mistakes: counting the annual fee toward the target, returning a large purchase after the bonus posts (issuers claw bonuses back), and juggling two minimum spends at once with a budget that only supports one.