How does the Chase Refer-a-Friend program work?

The Chase Refer-A-Friend program gives you bonus cash back, points, or miles when someone uses your referral link to apply for a Chase credit card and gets approved. For example, when a friend uses your link to apply for Chase Freedom Unlimited, you’ll get $50 cash back if they’re approved. You can receive the Chase Freedom Unlimited Refer-A-Friend bonus up to 10 times per year, for a total of $500.

Chase Credit Card Referral Bonus Offers in 2026

You can earn a referral bonus with the eligible Chase credit cards below. The amount of the bonus depends on the card, and not all Chase credit cards currently offer referral bonuses.

It’s worth noting that certain Chase airline and hotel rewards cards give referral bonuses in the card’s rewards currency, rather than Chase points. For example, Southwest credit card referral bonuses give you Southwest points, and the Marriott Bonvoy credit cards give Marriott points.

Key Things to Know About the Chase Refer-A-Friend Program

• You can refer people for a Chase credit card you don’t personally have. For example, if you have a Chase Freedom Unlimited card, you’ll still be able to refer someone for another eligible Chase card. Simply log into your account, navigate to the Refer-A-Friend section and select the desired card to generate the unique referral link for you to share.
• The person you refer must use your unique referral link. If they don’t use this link to apply, you won’t get the bonus. In addition, the person you refer has to get approved for the card. You won’t get a bonus for denied applications.
• You cannot refer yourself for a Chase credit card to earn a referral bonus. However, if you have a friend who owns a Chase card, you can ask them to refer you so they get a bonus.
• The bonus takes time to arrive. Once your referral’s application is approved, you will receive your bonus in about 8 weeks.
• Bonuses are easy to find on your credit card statement. Rewards from each successful referral will be listed as a “Refer-A-Friend” bonus.
• Referral bonuses are subject to income taxes. If you earn $600 or more in referral bonuses in a year, the issuer will send you a Form 1099-MISC, which you must file with the IRS. Even if you don’t receive a 1099 form, you’re still required to report any referral bonuses you earn as income and pay taxes on the total amount.

If you don’t have a Chase card yet or you’re not sure which card you want to refer a friend for, take a look at WalletHub’s editors’ picks for the best Chase credit card offers.

Chase Refer-A-Friend Checking Bonus

If you have a Chase checking account, you can also refer a friend to earn extra cash after you’ve had your account open for at least 30 days. Currently, Chase offers bonuses for the following types of checking accounts: Chase Total Checking, Chase Premier Plus Checking, Chase Sapphire Checking, and Chase Private Client Checking.

No matter which type of checking account you refer someone to, you’ll receive $50 for each person who opens an account, up to a maximum of $500 per calendar year. You will get the bonus within 30 days after the person opens their account, as long as their account doesn’t get closed or restricted during that time period.

You can learn more about Chase checking accounts here on WalletHub.