Ways to maximize credit card merchant offers or deals when shopping
Quick insights
- Merchant offers, or card linked offers, may include discounts with select merchants when you make a qualifying purchase with a credit card.
- You typically need to activate the offer within your credit or debit card account and use that card to make the purchase for the offer to apply.
- Card linked offers can often be stacked with other discounts and promotions, including those through the credit card issuer’s shopping portal.
You might already know about popular credit card benefits such as rewards programs and welcome bonus offers. However, you may not be aware of card linked offers. These targeted deals provide discounts with participating merchants when you make qualifying purchases.
If you want to maximize the benefits of your credit card, it might be worth exploring available offers before you shop. These offers may help you earn statement credits or cash back on items you already plan to buy.
Below, we’ve outlined some features of card linked offers and a few tips to help you find deals.
What are credit card merchant offers?
Merchant offers, also called card linked offers, are promotions provided by your credit card issuer in partnership with select merchants. These offers may provide cash back or discounts when you make a qualifying purchase with a merchant. For example, the issuer may offer 15% cash back on purchases with a specific clothing retailer.
Offers are often targeted based on your spending habits, type of credit card (such as travel rewards or cash back) and other factors. You typically need to activate an offer on your credit or debit card account before using it. Offers are usually linked to a specific credit card, meaning you must use that card for the offer to apply.
Tips for maximizing credit card merchant offers
Using card linked offers is one way to maximize the value of your credit card. Here are a few strategies to potentially save more on your everyday expenses and big-ticket items.
Check and activate offers regularly
Banks tend to update available offers frequently, so you may want to consider checking weekly for new and expiring deals. You’ll need to activate the offer before making a relevant purchase for it to apply. Card linked offers are typically found in a section of your online account dashboard labeled “Offers” or similar, and they can usually be activated by clicking on the offer.
You may have the option to enable push notifications for new, expiring or activated offers or customize your email preferences for offer-related communications. There are also third-party websites that track offers and send alerts across multiple credit cards.
Compare offers across cards
Card linked offers can vary by credit card, even among cards issued by the same bank. Some banks also provide offers to customers with debit cards, so it may be useful to compare offers across your accounts.
In short, if you have multiple credit cards and accounts, comparing the available offers regularly could help you find the most competitive deals.
Strategically time purchases around offers
Timing discretionary purchases with the most competitive offers can help maximize potential discounts, especially for large purchases with a higher price tag.
Let’s say you need to purchase a laptop within the next 6 months and have researched the specific brand and model you plan to buy. You might consider checking your credit card’s merchant offers periodically for any deals available with that brand or electronics retailers. This can help you stay aware of potential savings opportunities that may arise before you make your purchase.
Stack discounts and promotions
To further increase potential savings on your credit card purchases, you can sometimes combine offers with other promotions. For example, you may be able to stack shopping portal discounts, coupon codes, store loyalty points, and more. Card linked offers usually don’t have restrictions on stacking offers, but terms and conditions may vary.
When you want to combine offers, you’ll generally need to follow these steps:
- Activate the merchant offer in your credit card account.
- Log in to the shopping portal.
- Apply coupon codes.
- Use the loyalty program (log in may be required).
- Pay with the card linked to the merchant offer.
Avoid overspending
It may be helpful to view card linked offers as a way to save on planned purchases, not as a reason to buy things you don’t need. Making purchases just to get a deal could lead to overspending. One strategy to avoid overspending is to use offers for items or services you already intended to buy.
If a merchant offer feels tempting, taking some time before making a purchase decision may provide an opportunity to reassess whether the expense fits within your budget.
How to activate merchant offers with Chase
If you have a Chase credit or debit card, you can access available card linked offers through the Chase Offers portal. Explore current offers in the Chase Mobile® app or on chase.com. To select an offer you like, you just click a button to add it to your card. To redeem the offer, you’ll need to use your eligible card and should get a statement credit within 14 business days.
In summary
When planning your purchases, looking for related card linked offers might be worthwhile. These offers usually need to be activated through your credit card account and can often be combined with other promotions to save more.
When possible, you may want to consider timing large purchases to find the most competitive offers. These offers can be a budget-friendly choice when used for purchases you were planning to make anyway.
