What are card-linked offers?

How do card-linked offers work?

A card-linked offer has four moving parts: who is offered it, whether they take it up, what purchase qualifies, and how the reward arrives. The first two are what separate an offer from an ordinary rewards rate. A published earn rate applies to any qualifying purchase in a category, for every cardmember; a card-linked offer is loaded into individual accounts, and nothing happens unless the cardmember saves it before shopping.

Saving the offer is the step that creates the link. Once the link exists, the qualifying purchase is matched to the saved offer, and the credit or the bonus points are applied after the transaction settles rather than at the moment of payment. An offer that is saved but never triggered simply lapses.

The qualifying conditions are set offer by offer. The merchant is named, a spend level may be fixed, the payment channel can matter, and the offer runs only until a stated date. The reward normally takes one of two forms: a statement credit that reduces the card balance after the purchase, or bonus points added to the rewards balance.

What are Amex Offers?

Amex Offers is the card-linked offer feature described on American Express card pages. On its India card site, American Express says Cardmembers have access to offers across travel, dining, retail, wellness and more, describing curated dining experiences, exclusive retail offers and spa treats. [4] The same page explains how a cardmember takes one up: log in to the online account and save the offers you like with a single click. [4]

Two points follow from that description. The offer is selected from what is available in the cardmember's own account and is saved before the purchase rather than claimed afterwards — American Express frames the choices as treats tailored for the individual. [4] The offers span several spending areas rather than one retail category, so each saved offer is tied to the merchant it names rather than to a general earning category. [4]

This description applies to American Express cards issued in India, as presented on the American Express India site. [4]

How do bonus-point offers work in Chase Ultimate Rewards?

Chase's Ultimate Rewards agreement for the Ink Business Preferred card, between the cardmember and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., says the bank may offer ways to earn bonus points through the programme, naming Refer-a-Business, Shop and Earn and special promotions as examples. [6] The offer itself carries the detail: at the time of the offer the cardmember is told how many bonus points can be earned, how long the offer runs and any expiration date, along with any other terms, and those additional terms become part of the agreement. [6]

Expiry needs no formal amendment. The agreement states that the natural expiration of a limited-time bonus-point offer is not a modification to the programme that requires notification. [6]

Bonus points land on the same schedule as ordinary points. Points are earned at the close of each monthly billing cycle, based on the purchases made in that cycle plus bonus points posted during it, minus returns and refunds; if returns and refunds exceed purchases, the deduction can leave a negative point balance. [6]

What has to happen before a merchant-linked purchase counts?

Card-linked arrangements also run the other way, when a cardmember spends points at a named merchant instead of earning a credit there. Chase says it may give opportunities to use points for all or part of a payment for eligible products or services directly through third-party merchants, and that to take part a cardmember must either be automatically enrolled or complete the merchant's self-registration process. [6]

Enrolment can happen without a deliberate sign-up. A cardmember may be auto-enrolled with a third party if a card is already stored in the account they hold with that third party, or if they add a card to it; the third party then emails to explain the enrolment and how to de-enrol, and the cardmember may de-enrol at any time. [6] Participation may require authorising Chase to share information about the account with the third party, after which Chase tells the third party about the participation, including the points balance. [6] Points are not used without permission unless the cardmember opts into a default payment feature, and the value obtained through a third-party merchant may be worth less than redeeming directly through the programme. [6]

Exceptions and limits

• Time limits are built in. Chase discloses the duration and any expiration date when a bonus-point offer is made, and the natural expiration of a limited-time offer does not require notice of a programme change. [6]
• Merchant coding can override appearances. Under the Ultimate Rewards agreement, merchants that accept Visa/Mastercard are assigned a merchant code by the merchant or its processor, and a merchant may not carry a code in a category even though its goods appear to fit — in which case purchases there do not qualify for rewards offers in that category. [6]
• Payment channel matters. That agreement says purchases submitted through third-party payment accounts, mobile or wireless card readers, or online or mobile digital wallets will not qualify in a rewards category if the technology is not set up to process the purchase in that category. [6]
• Returns reduce the reward. Points are calculated minus returns and refunds, and more returns than purchases can produce a negative balance. [6]
• Merchant-side offers can change. Chase says products or services offered through third-party merchants may not always be available and may change without notice, and that returns and point refunds are subject to the third party's policies. [6]
• You can step out. After auto-enrolment with a merchant, the cardmember may de-enrol at any time. [6]

Frequently asked questions

Do you have to save a card-linked offer before you spend?

Yes for Amex Offers, where American Express describes logging in to the online account and saving the offers you like with a single click. [4] Chase's merchant-linked point payments instead require automatic enrolment or the merchant's self-registration. [6]

When do bonus points from an offer appear?

At the close of the monthly billing cycle, together with the points earned on that cycle's purchases, minus any returns or refunds. [6]

Can an offer expire before you use it?

Offers are limited in time: Chase discloses the duration and any expiration date at the time of the offer, and its natural expiry is not treated as a change requiring notice. [6]

Does how you pay affect whether a purchase counts?

For Chase rewards categories it can. Purchases routed through third-party payment accounts, mobile or wireless card readers, or digital wallets do not qualify in a category if the technology is not set up to process them in it. [6]

Can you leave a merchant offer you were enrolled in automatically?

Yes. The third party emails details of the auto-enrolment and how to de-enrol, and the cardmember may de-enrol at any time. [6]

Related pages

Shopping portals and card offers, How to earn miles, Card earning cap, Eligible card spend, All glossary terms.

Sources

Sources checked on 18 October 2026. Card programmes other than American Express and Chase Ultimate Rewards are not covered here; see shopping portals and card offers for the wider picture.

1. American Express India credit cards: card benefits, Amex Offers and Membership Rewards, checked 18 October 2026
2. Ink Business Preferred with Ultimate Rewards Program Agreement (Chase), checked 18 October 2026