Chase’s Changes to Referral Bonuses
It looks like Chase is really going for the “Bomboyed of the Year Award” this December.
After hiking up the annual fees for the Sapphire Reserve Card by 45%, boosting the coupon book benefits significantly, and eliminating the 1.5-cent redemption option through Chase Travel, they’ve also removed the somewhat inactive welcome offer. If you’ve already deleted your Sapphire Reserve, well, you might still be looking for that perfect card. One concern, however, is that referring more than ten people in a month might not yield any bonus points. It seems they’re making it trickier to earn those bonus points, especially for folks looking to bring new business cardholders on board.
When you generate a referral link with a Chase Ink card, you’ll now see a message stating:
Until October 7, 2025, only new Chase business card customers are eligible to receive the referral bonus award. Referrals for individuals with existing Chase business card accounts will no longer qualify for referral bonuses.
Interestingly, this wording isn’t currently visible on the original reference landing page. However, it seems likely that they’ll update it soon, given these recent changes in how referral links are generated.
As for Chase Ink Business Credit Cards, the same language is present. But when using a My Marriott Premier Plus card (which is no longer available for new applications), there’s no limitation affecting your ability to earn future bonus points. Oddly, this isn’t mentioned for personal cards just yet.
Capital One has had a similar policy for years, allowing bonus points only for referrals from people who aren’t already cardholders. It’s a bit disappointing to see Chase adopting this approach, making it harder to receive rewards for bringing new customers into the fold. I hope they don’t extend this policy to other types of business and personal cards, but I have a nagging concern that this is just a test run for further changes.
What’s also unclear is how this affects businesses that had a Chase card in the past but no longer do. If they’re introduced to a new card, will the referring business still earn a bonus? Or does the previous ownership play a role in the outcome? I believe more details will emerge by October 7th.
