Welcome Bonuses That Quietly Expired
Credit card welcome bonuses aren't permanent offers. They're promotional terms that issuers raise, lower, and restructure whenever it suits them — usually without announcing the change. A bonus that was worth $750 last month might be $400 today, or it might now require twice the spending to earn.
This page tracks the changes. Every time we notice an issuer has altered a welcome offer on one of our 15 featured cards, we log it here. If a card in our quiz results shows a different bonus than what you see on the issuer's site, this page explains why.
Several cards on CardRank list their welcome bonus as "Welcome offer varies" or "check current offer." This isn't laziness — it's accuracy. These issuers (particularly Amex and Chase on premium cards) change their offers frequently enough that publishing a specific number would mislead you within weeks. We'd rather say "varies" than print a number that's wrong by the time you read it.
The change log
Chase Sapphire Preferred
The Sapphire Preferred's welcome bonus has ranged from 60,000 to 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points over the past several years. The 100,000-point offer (historically available in late 2021) was an outlier — the card has mostly settled in the 60,000-75,000 range. At time of writing, the current offer is best checked directly on Chase's site, as it fluctuates between public and targeted offers.
American Express Gold
Amex is the most aggressive with targeted vs. public offer differences. The Gold Card's public welcome bonus has historically been 60,000 Membership Rewards points after $6,000 in spending over 6 months. However, targeted offers of 75,000-90,000 points have appeared via Amex's CardMatch tool and direct mail. If you're considering this card, check the public offer and also try CardMatch — the targeted offer may be significantly richer.
Capital One Venture Rewards
The Venture card has been relatively stable: 75,000 miles after $4,000 in 3 months, plus a $250 Capital One Travel credit in the first year. This is one of the strongest and most consistent welcome offers at the $95 annual fee tier. If this changes, we'll note it here.
Chase Freedom Unlimited & Freedom Flex
Both cards have held steady at $250 (or equivalent in Ultimate Rewards points) after $500 in 3 months. The low spending threshold makes this one of the easiest welcome bonuses to earn. These offers have been stable for an extended period, but Chase has adjusted them in the past — the previous offer was $200 after $500.
Discover it Cash Back
Discover's Cashback Match isn't a traditional welcome bonus — it's a first-year doubling of all cash back earned, with no cap. This means the effective "bonus" scales with your spending. On average, a cardholder spending $1,500/month might earn $250-$350 in base cash back in year one, doubled to $500-$700. This structure has been Discover's signature offer for years and shows no signs of changing.
How to protect yourself from bonus changes
Screenshot the offer page before you apply. If the bonus changes between your application and your approval, a screenshot with a date stamp gives you leverage to request the original offer through the issuer's customer service.
Check multiple channels. The public offer on the issuer's website isn't always the best available. Check referral links (friends who hold the card often have referral offers with elevated bonuses), CardMatch and pre-qualification tools, and direct mail offers. Different channels can carry different bonus amounts for the same card.
Don't rush to beat a deadline unless it's confirmed. "Limited time offer" language is often permanent — it's marketing, not a countdown. Real deadlines exist (some cards periodically announce offer end dates), but most "limited time" bonuses have been running for months or years.
Track the spending deadline carefully. Welcome bonuses require a minimum spend within a specific window (typically 3-6 months). If you earn $4,000 of the required $4,000 spend and the deadline passes, you get nothing. Mark the calendar, track your progress, and don't cut it close.
Most issuers have some version of a lifetime or once-per-card rule on welcome bonuses. Amex's is the most strict: you generally can't earn a welcome bonus on any Amex card you've ever held before, even if you closed it years ago. Chase's restriction is typically 48 months — you can earn the Sapphire Preferred bonus again if it's been 4+ years since you last received it. Check each issuer's terms before applying if you've held the card before.