Can I refer someone to a business credit card from a personal credit card?
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.
When you share your points and miles redemptions with your friends and family, they’ll likely ask for your advice on which credit card they should get next. And if they take your advice, you may be able to benefit by sending them your referral link and earning a bonus. But what if your friend or family member wants a business card, and you only have personal cards?
Great news: you may still be able to refer them. However, since each issuer has its own way of rewarding referrals, a few different factors will determine whether you’ll be able to get a bonus.
Here’s what you need to know about earning referral bonuses on both personal and business credit cards.
American Express
American Express is the most versatile issuer for earning referral bonuses from different cards. You can earn a referral bonus when someone gets a business card from your personal referral link or vice versa. However, you and the person you’re referring need to take a few steps to get the referral bonus with a different card.
First, log in to your Amex account, click “Rewards & Benefits” from the menu in the top left-hand corner, then select “Refer a Friend.”
AMERICAN EXPRESS
You can either send an email directly to your friend or family member, or copy and paste a referral link. Then, when your recipient opens the link, the pop-up window will indicate the card you used to refer them.
For example, I could create a referral link for my Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card. My friend would see the option to apply for any of the three Hilton Honors personal cards.
AMERICAN EXPRESS
The information for the Hilton Aspire Amex card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
They could click on “Business Cards” on the left-hand side to see a referral offer for the business version.
AMERICAN EXPRESS
For cobranded cards like the Hilton ones, you can generally only refer within that card family.
However, when I referred my friend using my American Express® Gold Card link, they had cobranded cards as well as cash-back and Membership Rewards cards to choose from. If you have a card that earns Membership Rewards, using its referral link will likely give your friend or family member the most card options.
Related: The best American Express cards
Chase
In general, Chase only lets you earn a referral bonus when you refer someone to a card within the same family as the one you have.
So if you have the Chase Freedom Flex℠, for example, you can refer someone for the Chase Freedom Unlimited®. If you want to refer someone to get one of the Ink Business cards, you need to be an Ink cardholder.
If you have a personal cobranded card, like the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card, you can refer someone to get any card within that family. In this case, you can refer someone to the IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card even if you only have a personal IHG card.
Related: The best Chase credit cards
Capital One
Capital One referral bonuses are more limited. They’re targeted instead of widely available, so you’ll need to check your account to see if you have a referral link you can send to a friend. If you have a link, your friend will need to navigate through it to see which cards are available to them on your referral.
The consistent limitation for Capital One referrals is that personal credit cards will only be able to refer personal cards. You must have a Capital One business account to refer someone to a Capital One business card.
Related: What you need to know about Capital One refer-a-friend
Citi
Finally, Citi is far more stingy with its referral offers than those listed here. They offer referral bonuses, but they’re specifically targeted, so you’re far from guaranteed to get a referral bonus if you have a friend who wants a Citi card.
Bottom line
Referring friends or family members to one of your favorite credit cards is a great way to share the world of points and miles, and earning a referral bonus makes sharing that knowledge even sweeter.
Check your referral links before your friend or loved one signs up for a new card. If you can share one, it’s a win for you both.
Related: Refer businesses to Capital One and earn up to $1,500 per referral
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