The Dead Simple Move That Doubles Any Credit Card Bonus
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A lot of people tell me they want a new credit card for the sign-up bonus. They're usually right. A good welcome bonus is the single fastest way to earn at least a few hundred dollars in value.
But there's a simple move that instantly doubles the value of the points you earn. It's easy. Almost nobody does it.
Use a partner account to double the haul
The trick is you and your partner or another member of your household each get the same card.
If a single travel credit card bonus usually gets you $750 to use toward travel, pooling two bonuses gets you $1,500 of travel from the same program. Same spend requirements. Same cards. Twice the value.
You aren't gaming the system. These programs were built to work this way.
The best part: you don't have to book travel separately
People think two bonuses means two trips or two separate reservations. Not true.
If you pool your points into one primary account, you can use the larger balance to book one bigger trip or one premium redemption. That might mean:
- A long-haul flight instead of a domestic one
- A four-night hotel stay instead of two
- A business-class seat instead of economy
Platforms like Chase Travel and Capital One Travel make this seamless. Once the points are pooled, the booking experience feels exactly the same.
The best welcome offers can be worth hundreds of dollars in things like free travel. You can easily compare the cards currently offering the best welcome offers here.
This move works because you're already earning the points
There's no trick here. You aren't spending more. You aren't chasing categories. You're simply doubling a bonus you were already earning by letting someone else in your household do the same.
It's one of the few ways to make a welcome bonus feel twice as powerful without changing your habits.
And if you want to stretch those points even further, compare a few of the top travel rewards cards to find the best fit for your spending. A strong bonus paired with a pooled account can unlock a lot more travel than people expect.
Our Research Expert
Jake FitzGerald is a full-time Editorial Strategist and Personal Finance Writer at Motley Fool Money, leading content production and distribution while also writing about credit cards, bank accounts, and other financial products. He has more than a decade of experience editing and shaping financial content to give readers clear, trustworthy money advice. His work focuses on delivering practical insights that empower people to make smarter financial decisions. Off the clock, he’s a fan of college football tailgates and still loyal to his favorite putter -- despite what his short game suggests.