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Minimum Spend

The required spending threshold (typically $3-$6K over 3-6 months) to earn a credit card's sign-up bonus.

Full definition

Minimum spend is the dollar amount you must put on a new card within the offer window to earn the sign-up bonus. Fail to hit it and you forfeit the bonus entirely.

Strategies to meet minimum spend: front-loading large bills (rent via Bilt + another card, tuition, insurance premiums), prepaying taxes, using plastiq or similar fee-based services ($1 spend ≈ 2.85¢ in fees — only worth it if the bonus is large enough).

Related terms

Sign-up Bonus (SUB)
A one-time bonus of points awarded for opening a credit card and meeting the minimum spend...Manufactured Spend (MS)
The practice of generating credit card spend on items you can liquidate for cash to earn b...

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