Can You Earn a Credit Card's Sign-up Bonus More Than Once?

Depending on the card, you may be able to earn a sign-up bonus multiple times.

A sign-up bonus is often a credit card's most valuable perk. Several of the best sign-up bonuses are worth $500 or more, and all you need to do to qualify is reach a spending minimum with the card. Considering how good these bonuses can be, you may want to know if it's possible to get the same credit card's sign-up bonus more than once.

With some credit cards, the answer is yes. There are, however, a couple hurdles that make it challenging.

Earning a sign-up bonus multiple times

Here's the first obstacle to getting a sign-up bonus more than once -- credit card companies will almost never let you have two of the exact same card at the same time.

So, if you still have the credit card, you can't just apply for it again and get another copy. You would need to have either canceled the card or requested a product change, meaning you swapped the card for another one that the card issuer offers.

That brings us to the second obstacle. Most credit card companies have rules in place regarding how often you can get sign-up bonuses from the same card. You can generally find these rules in the terms and conditions or on the card's application page.

To make this easier, here are the sign-up bonus restrictions for several card issuers.

American Express

American Express cards have some of the strictest rules for welcome bonus offers. On each card's application page, it states that the welcome offer isn't available for anyone who has already had the card. You're officially limited to one welcome offer per card with American Express.

There have been reports of exceptions to this lifetime restriction. Some consumers have been able to get multiple welcome offers with the same American Express card. They reapplied several years after closing their cards for the first time, though.

The nice thing about American Express applications is that you find out upfront whether you're eligible for the welcome offer. If you're not, a pop-up window will appear before you submit your application letting you know that you won't be eligible and asking if you still want to apply.

Capital One

Unfortunately, Capital One doesn't have a firm rule spelled out. The terms for Capital One cards mention that bonuses may not be available for existing or previous accountholders. You could get a bonus twice, or Capital One could deny it the second time around. There's no way of knowing beforehand what will happen.

Chase

You can get sign-up bonuses multiple times with Chase credit cards. Bonus rules vary by card, and each Chase card's page includes the rules for that specific card. You'll find these rules either below the sign-up bonus or by clicking "Offer Details."

The most common restriction Chase has on bonuses is that you can't get a card's sign-up bonus if you've already gotten it in the previous 24 months. You also can't open a Chase card that you currently have.

Chase does have different rules on certain cards, which is why you should always review the terms on the card you want. The Chase Sapphire cards, in particular, have much stricter rules. You can't have more than one card in the Chase Sapphire line, which consists of the following cards:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
• Chase Sapphire Reserve®

You're also ineligible for a Chase Sapphire card bonus if you've already gotten a bonus from any Chase Sapphire card in the previous 48 months.

Citi

Citi allows you to get sign-up bonuses multiple times. Like with Chase, bonus rules depend on the card. Each Citi card's page has the rules for that card in the fine print below the sign-up bonus.

The rule for most Citi credit cards is that you're ineligible for a card's sign-up bonus if you've either already received the card's bonus or closed that card within the previous 24 months. This means if you close your Citi card, it essentially resets the clock on when you're eligible for the bonus again.

Citi is more restrictive with cards that earn Citi ThankYou points. The following cards are grouped together for bonus restrictions:

• Citi Rewards+® Card
• Citi Prestige® Card

Let's say you've gotten a bonus or closed one of those cards within the last 24 months. You'd be ineligible for a bonus with that same card or either of the other two cards on the list.

Not every Citi card has the same rules. The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® is a notable exception. With that card, you're ineligible for the sign-up bonus if you've already received it within the previous 48 months.

Getting a bonus multiple times isn't easy

Although it's possible to earn sign-up bonuses with certain cards multiple times, you probably shouldn't make this a goal. Credit card companies have rules in place to avoid consumers spamming bonuses offers.

You'll need to close or product-change your first card. If it's a credit card you use regularly, getting rid of it doesn't make much sense. You'll also need to wait until you're eligible for the bonus again, which will likely be two years or longer.

However, maybe you find yourself in a situation where you closed or product-changed a card, but later decided that you'd like to try it out again. In that case, you should check the rules on that card's sign-up bonus. If you can get the bonus a second time, that's a good extra incentive to open the card.