Can You Earn a Credit Card Welcome Bonus More Than Once?

Welcome bonus offers can provide a nice incentive to sign up for a credit card. But whether you can earn a welcome bonus more than once depends on the credit card.

The right credit card can be an excellent way to earn rewards while also having a credit card on hand when you need it.

Many card issuers will even offer welcome bonuses to entice new customers to sign up for cards. Depending on the credit card you choose, you can redeem these bonus offer points or miles for rewards like statement credit, gift cards, flights, and hotel stays.

But can you earn a credit card welcome bonus more than once? Yes, but not for all credit cards.

How to find out if you can earn a welcome bonus more than once

Several card issuers allow you to earn a welcome bonus more than one time. But you're going to want to pay attention to the sign-up bonus fine print. Each card issuer has its own rules in place as to how often a welcome bonus can be earned. For some, welcome bonuses may only be earned once in a lifetime while others require cardmembers to wait a specific length of time before they can earn a card bonus again.

Here's a look at some of the rules for each card issuer.

American Express: If you're hoping to get an Amex card welcome bonus more than once, that won't be possible. Amex has a one-card-bonus-per-lifetime rule in place.

Bank of America: If you want to get a Bank of America welcome bonus again, you may need to wait 24 months. While some cards will let you earn the bonus again in two years, other card bonuses are one-time offers limited to new customers.

Barclays: Getting a Barclays card welcome bonus more than once may be difficult to do. Many of their credit cards have terms and conditions similar to the Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard credit card. The welcome bonus for this card is only for new cardmembers who "may no longer be eligible" for bonuses or incentives.

Capital One: Like Barclays, Capital One isn't very clear with its welcome bonus restrictions. Most of their rewards cards' terms and conditions state that "existing or previous cardholders may not be eligible for this one-time offer."

Chase: For many entry-level and mid-level Chase credit cards, you can earn a welcome bonus once every 24 months. Examples include the , United℠ Explorer Card, Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card, and Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card cards. But for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve®, the bonus eligibility rules are much more strict. Per the rules, you'll need to wait 48 months. Also, you can only carry one Chase Sapphire card at a time. So you'll also need to downgrade or cancel one of your cards after waiting 48 months.

Citi: Citi also allows its cardmembers to earn a welcome bonus more than once. Most of their cards only allow for the bonus to be earned once every 24 months. The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® and the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® have stricter requirements, allowing for bonuses to be earned once every 48 months.

Don't rule out a couples points strategy

Even if a card won't let you get a bonus offer twice, it may be possible for you and your partner to repeatedly take advantage of welcome bonus offers. Your partner can apply for their own card, even if you've already received a card's bonus. And if your partner currently is or was an authorized user on one of your cards, it won't affect their ability to get that same card under their own account.

When developing your own couples points strategy, make sure that you consider minimum spend requirements and spread out your application timelines. That way, you're not each having to spend $8,000 within three months to get a welcome bonus offer. For many couples, that could be a lot of money, and it could result in credit card debt due to spending more than they can comfortably afford to pay off in a short time period. You should also consider annual fees, as those fees can add up fast.

Remember, having and following a rewards strategy works best because you can outline your shared goals and work together to achieve them faster.

Always check the terms and conditions

You may be able to earn a credit card welcome bonus more than once, but you want to be cautious before assuming it's possible. Always check the card's terms and conditions and make sure that you're not taking actions that will be considered gaming the system. Credit card companies can cancel your accounts, including all credit cards that you have with them. They can even take back rewards if they think that you're going too far when taking advantage of their offers.

And if you're in the market for a new credit card but aren't sure which one is right for you, take a look at our best credit cards list.