Key Points

• Chase's Refer-A-Friend program lets you earn bonus points, miles, or cash back just for sending a personal link to friends, family, or coworkers who get approved for a Chase card.
• Referral bonuses range from $50 cash back on the Freedom cards up to 40,000 Ultimate Rewards points on Ink Business and Sapphire Reserve for Business cards, with annual caps between $500 and 200,000 points depending on the card.
• Chase tightened its business card referral rules in 2026, so only businesses that have never held a Chase Ink or Sapphire business card will trigger a bonus for you now.

Introduction

If you're already happy with your Chase card, a Chase referral bonus is one of the easiest ways to pad your points balance without spending an extra dollar. You send a friend a link, they get approved, and Chase drops bonus points, miles, or cash into your account, often within about eight weeks. It sounds simple, and mostly it is, but the amount you earn and how often you can earn it varies a lot depending on which card is involved. Chase also changed some of the rules in 2026, which caught a lot of longtime cardholders off guard. If you're new to this, our beginner's guide to Chase Ultimate Rewards is a good starting point. Here's exactly how the program works right now, card by card, plus the strategies and mistakes that separate people who max out their referrals from people who leave points on the table.

How Chase's Refer-A-Friend Program Works

Chase's referral program is built around a simple exchange: you already have a card you like, so Chase pays you to bring in new customers. To participate, you log into your Chase account online or through the mobile app, generate a personalized referral link tied to a specific card, and send it to someone you know.

If that person applies through your link and gets approved, you earn a referral bonus. You don't need to be the one holding the exact card you're referring to. You can refer friends to Chase cards you don't personally hold, as long as your account gives you access to generate that link, which is a detail a lot of people miss. thepointsguy

You also don't have to know your referral personally. The person just needs to follow your personalized link and get approved, whether it's a friend, family member, or coworker. Your friend can also earn a substantial welcome offer of their own, so it's worth pointing them to our guide on meeting minimum spending requirements so they don't leave any of it unclaimed.

How to Refer a Friend to a Chase Card, Step by Step

Generating a referral link takes about two minutes.

1. Log into your Chase account on desktop or in the mobile app.
2. On desktop, navigate to Chase's dedicated refer-a-friend dashboard. In the app, go to the "More" tab and select "Refer a friend."
3. Choose the card you want to refer someone to from the dropdown menu, even if it's not the exact card you carry.
4. Copy your unique link or share it directly via text or social media.
5. Send it to your friend and have them apply through that link specifically. If they apply directly on Chase's site instead, you won't get credit.
6. Wait for approval. It can take up to eight weeks to receive your bonus after the person you refer opens their account. WalletHub

That last step trips people up more than any other part of the process. If your friend bookmarks the general application page instead of using your link, or opens a new tab and searches for the card themselves, the referral won't track. Always have them click through directly from the message you send.

How Much You Can Earn: Referral Bonuses by Card

The dollar value of Chase's referral program depends entirely on which card your friend applies for. Here's what's currently available across Chase's lineup.

• Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Sapphire Reserve: Chase increased the referral bonus on these two cards to 15,000 points per approved referral, up from the previous 10,000-point offer. You can earn up to 100,000 points total in referral bonuses per calendar year, which works out to roughly seven successful referrals. See our full Chase Sapphire Preferred review for whether it's the right first card for your friend. The Points Guythepointsguy
• Chase Freedom Flex and Chase Freedom Unlimited: These cash-back cards pay $50 per successful referral, capped at $500 in cash back per year.
• Ink Business Preferred and other Ink Business cards, plus Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business: This is where the program got noticeably more generous in 2026. Chase now pays 40,000 bonus points for each business that gets approved for any Chase for Business credit card, and the annual referral cap on these business products has climbed to 200,000 points. That's double what Ink cardholders were earning per referral as recently as early 2026, when the rate sat at 20,000 Ultimate Rewards points per referral, capped at 100,000 points after five referrals. Our Ink Business Preferred review breaks down whether the annual fee pencils out for your business. Chase Credit CardsUpgraded Points
• Southwest Airlines cards: 20,000 Rapid Rewards points per referral, up to 100,000 points annually. Check our Southwest Rapid Rewards guide to see what that's worth in flights.
• United Airlines cards: 10,000 MileagePlus miles per referral, up to 100,000 miles annually.
• Marriott Bonvoy cards: 40,000 Bonvoy points per referral, up to 200,000 points annually.
• IHG One Rewards cards: 10,000 IHG points per referral, up to 50,000 points annually.
• World of Hyatt Business Credit Card: 10,000 Hyatt points per referral, up to 50,000 points annually, though not every cardholder is eligible.
• Disney Visa and Disney Premier Visa cards: 100 Disney Rewards Dollars per referral, up to 500 per year.

If you hold multiple Chase cards, you can generate separate referral links for each one and stack your annual caps across products. Someone who holds a Sapphire Preferred, an Ink Business Preferred, and a Freedom Unlimited could theoretically earn 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points, 200,000 more Ultimate Rewards points, and $500 cash back in a single year, purely from referrals. For a full picture of what those points are worth, see our Chase transfer partners guide.

What Changed in 2026: The Business Referral Rules

If you referred business cards successfully in past years, pay close attention here. Chase changed the standards for earning a referral bonus on Ink and Sapphire business cards last year, so you now receive a bonus only if the business you're referring has never had a Chase Ink or Sapphire business card before. Previously, someone could open a second or third Ink card and still trigger a referral bonus for the person who sent them the link. That loophole is gone. Frequent Miler

This matters because a lot of small business owners and points enthusiasts hold more than one Chase business card themselves. If you try to refer a friend who already has, say, an Ink Business Cash, to the Ink Business Preferred, that referral won't earn you anything even if they get approved. Always ask upfront whether your referral has ever held any Chase business card, not just the specific one they're applying for.

The personal Sapphire cards saw a related shift. Beginning in January 2026, each Sapphire product carries its own lifetime welcome bonus eligibility, meaning someone can earn a given Sapphire card's bonus once as long as they've never received that specific card's bonus before, regardless of whether they've held a different Sapphire card in the past. That doesn't affect your referral bonus directly, but it does affect whether your friend qualifies for a welcome offer at all, which is worth checking against our best Chase welcome offers by card guide before you send a link. 10xTravel

Smart Strategies to Maximize Your Referral Bonuses

Check the referral offer against the public offer first. Referral links don't always carry the same welcome bonus as Chase's public application page, and sometimes they're better. Before sending a link, compare the two so your friend gets the strongest offer available, not just whatever bonus happens to be attached to your personal link.

Prioritize business card referrals if you're eligible. At 40,000 points per referral, Ink and Sapphire Reserve for Business links are currently the highest-value referral opportunity Chase offers on a per-person basis. If you have business-owner friends who don't yet hold a Chase business card, this is the referral worth sending first.

Don't limit yourself to your own card. Since you can generate links for Chase cards you don't personally hold, log into the refer-a-friend dashboard and check every option available to you, not just the one card you carry.

Time it around your friend's spending plans. A referral bonus only pays off if your friend actually meets the minimum spending requirement. If they're not planning a big purchase or trip anytime soon, encourage them to wait until they can realistically hit the spend rather than rushing into an application.

Set a reminder for the eight-week window. Referral bonuses don't always post automatically or with a clear notification. Mark your calendar so you can follow up with Chase if a bonus hasn't shown up after two months.

Common Mistakes That Cost You Referral Bonuses

The most common mistake is sending a general link to the application instead of a personalized referral link. Chase can only credit you if the tracking link is unique to your account, so double check the URL before sending it.

The second most common mistake, especially in 2026, is referring someone who's already held the exact card type on the business side. Ask before you assume.

The third is forgetting that referral bonuses can be taxable. Some banks have sent out 1099s for referral bonuses in the past, and your referral earnings may be considered income, particularly if you're maxing out your annual caps. Talk to a tax professional if you're referring frequently, especially on the business side where caps run as high as 200,000 points a year. Our guide to taxes on points and miles covers this in more detail. thepointsguy

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to have the card myself to refer someone to it?
No. You can generate a referral link for any eligible Chase card shown in your refer-a-friend dashboard, even ones you don't personally own.

How long does it take to get a Chase referral bonus?
Up to eight weeks after your friend's account is approved and opened.

Can I refer the same person to multiple Chase cards?
Yes, as long as they're applying for different products and meet each card's individual eligibility requirements.

Is there a limit to how many people I can refer?
No limit on the number of referrals, but each card has an annual points, miles, or cash-back cap that stops new bonuses from posting once you hit it.

Bottom Line

Chase's Refer-A-Friend program remains one of the simplest ways to add points, miles, or cash back to your account without spending anything extra, and the 2026 changes actually made it more lucrative on the business side. The keys are sending the right link, confirming your referral hasn't already held that card type, and being patient through the eight-week posting window. If you're not already checking your referral dashboard before recommending a Chase card to a friend, you're leaving free points on the table.

Ready to see which Chase cards you're eligible to refer? Log into your account and check your personal refer-a-friend dashboard today, or start with our Chase Sapphire Preferred review if you're deciding which card to apply for yourself.

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