The best ways to meet a minimum spend.
A welcome bonus asks you to spend a set amount in the first few months. Here's how I get there without buying one extra thing.
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You opened the card. The welcome bonus says spend $4,000 in three months.
Cue the panic. “We don’t spend that much!”
You probably do. You’re just not putting it all on one card yet.
First, the rule
Never spend extra to hit a bonus. If you’d have to buy things you don’t need, it’s the wrong card or the wrong time.
Everything below is money that was leaving your bank account anyway. We’re just changing which card it leaves from.
Start with the obvious
For the next three months, this card pays for everything. Groceries, gas, Target, Costco runs (if it’s a Visa!), restaurants, the kids’ activities.
Take every other card out of your wallet if you have to. I’m serious!
Then the bills you forgot about
This is where most families find the rest. Go through your bank statement and look for anything you pay automatically.
- Phone, internet and cable.
- Water and energy bills.
- Streaming apps. All of them. They add up.
- Insurance. Car, home, life.
- Gym memberships.
- Home security. Ring, SimpliSafe and systems like them.
- Pest control.
- Amazon. Change your default card there today.
The creative ones
The pharmacist in me loves this list.
- Prescriptions and pharmacy items. You’re buying them anyway.
- Medical and dental bills. Most offices take cards.
- FSA and HSA items. If your plan lets you pay yourself back, pay with your new card first, then submit the receipt.
- Church tithes and recurring donations. Many churches and charities take cards online.
- Haircuts. For the whole family.
- Property taxes and car taxes. Check the fee first (more on that below).
- Prepaying insurance. Paying six months or a year up front counts all at once, and some insurers give a discount for it.
Watch for fees
Some billers charge extra to pay by card. Tax offices and utilities are the usual ones.
If the fee is around 3%, it’s usually not worth it. The one exception: it’s the last bit you need to finish a bonus, and the bonus is worth far more than the fee.
Do the math before you click pay.
What I don’t do
- Buy things we don’t need.
- Carry a balance to get there.
- Anything that feels like a trick. Normal bills are enough.
Three habits that save you
- Put the deadline on your calendarTwo weeks early. The day the card arrives.
- Spend a little past the targetReturns and the annual fee don’t count toward it.
- Check your progress monthlyMost card apps show a tracker. Ten seconds.
The bottom line: your regular bills can earn the bonus for you. Move them to the new card, watch the fees, and don’t buy a single extra thing.
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