The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Advertiser disclosure
The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Guides
How to use the CardMatch tool to get better credit card welcome offers
Katie Genter is a digital nomad who has traveled full time since June 2017. She writes and edits stories about points and miles, and loyalty programs, often letting her personal experiences color these stories.
Credit card writer Danyal Ahmed is an avid traveler, averaging about 100,000 aeronautical miles per year. He regularly applies that knowledge and his expertise in credit cards to his role as a credit card writer at TPG.
also contributed to this story
October 25, 2024 • 9 min read
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
Related stories
Quick summary
CardMatch is a tool that matches users with targeted credit card offers, which can sometimes be more generous than public offers.
The tool uses a soft credit inquiry, so checking for offers does not impact your credit score.
Offers found through CardMatch can change frequently and are not guaranteed to be better than public offers for every user.
CardMatch does not consider your spending habits or goals, but instead matches based on approval likelihood.
What to consider
Some offers mentioned in the article are no longer available and may change at any time.
Receiving a targeted offer through CardMatch does not guarantee approval or eligibility for the bonus.
CardMatch only performs a soft credit pull, which does not affect your credit score.
What you'll miss from the article
A step-by-step guide for using CardMatch and tips on maximizing your chances of finding higher-value targeted offers.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
While there’s not one way to ensure you are included among the lucky ones who can get an even better welcome offer, there are some ways to at least quickly check to see if a better offer is available to you.
Some issuers, such as American Express, send mailers to potential customers with limited-time offers for which they have been preselected. Others, such as Chase, make certain welcome bonuses available only in their physical branches for banking customers.
Another great way to easily look for higher welcome bonuses is the CardMatch tool; we’ll explain what it is and how to use it.
What is CardMatch?
The CardMatch tool takes some simple personal information and matches you with current card offers for which you might be eligible. These offers can be higher — sometimes much higher — than those available through other public channels.
MINISERIES/GETTY IMAGES
For example, right now, with The Platinum Card® from American Express's public welcome offer, new cardmembers can earn 80,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases on the card in the first six months. The card has a $695 annual fee (see rates and fees).
With CardMatch, you may be able to get a higher offer on the Amex Platinum. CardMatch offers are subject to change at any time and not everyone will be targeted for the same offer.
Behind the scenes, CardMatch will perform what’s called a soft pull on your credit report. Based on that pull, you’ll be recommended cards that you are more likely to be approved for. And the better your credit score (along with other factors), the more likely you are to be targeted for offers that are higher than publicly available offers.
Remember that CardMatch does not give recommendations based on your goals or spending habits. The recommendations are based purely on what cards you are likely to be approved for.
Why you should use CardMatch
The CardMatch tool serves two main purposes. It helps you determine which cards you are likely to be approved for and may give you access to targeted offers from issuers.
When you actually apply for a credit card, a hard pull is performed on your credit report. That hard pull signals to creditors that you are looking to open a new line of credit, and it can lead to a three- to five-point drop in your credit score. Using the CardMatch tool to determine which cards best match your credit score can help you minimize these drops.
For those with good-to-excellent credit scores (meaning you probably aren’t as worried about your approval odds), the CardMatch tool provides value differently. You can often find targeted special offers for certain credit cards that give you better welcome offer opportunities than publicly available offers.
Everyone wants the best welcome offer possible, which is especially important for American Express cards, as you only have one opportunity to earn a welcome offer per card per lifetime.
No matter which category you fit into, the CardMatch tool is something you should use prior to applying for a new credit card.
You’ll need to enter some personal information, including your first and last name, home address, the last four digits of your Social Security number and your email address.
You’ll then have to agree to the terms and conditions stating that you willingly gave your personal information to the site.
CARDMATCH
Then, in less than a minute, the available credit card offers should be displayed.
The quality and quantity of offers you see on CardMatch will vary over time and from person to person — don’t expect to get impressive offers that are better than what is publicly available each time you check.
If you want to apply for any of the offers you see, click the “Apply Now” button next to the offer, and you’ll be taken to the bank’s site, where you can complete the rest of the process.
Since offers can and do change, don’t count on that same offer being available the next time you check, as it may end at any time.
As mentioned, targeted offers can appear on CardMatch, including an offer to earn up to 125,000 points after spending $8,000 in the first six months of cardmembership when opening up a new Amex Platinum account and meeting the prescribed spending requirements.
Compare that to the current public offer on the card of 80,000 points when you spend the same $8,000 in the first six months of cardmembership. That’s a 45,000-point difference — or $900 based on TPG’s valuation of Membership Rewards points — so it’s clearly worth checking to see if you’re targeted for the higher offer.
Using the CardMatch tool, we’ve also seen a welcome offer for the American Express® Gold Card where new cardmembers can earn 75,000 points after spending $6,000 in the first six months of cardmembership. This offer is subject to change at any time and not everyone will be targeted for the same offers.
With the publicly available offer for the Amex Gold, new cardmembers can currently earn 60,000 points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of cardmembership.
Yes. The CardMatch tool uses bank-level security to ensure your personal information is safe.
Does it affect my credit score?
No. As mentioned before, CardMatch performs what is called a soft pull to display the offers available to you. This type of inquiry into your credit report does not affect your credit score, no matter how often one is performed.
What’s the difference between CardMatch and a regular application?
Submitting your information into CardMatch is not an official credit card application.
An actual card application must be submitted to an issuer for approval or denial. That application will likely require more information, including your annual income. That application then authorizes a credit card issuer to do a hard pull on your account, which is a more in-depth look that can affect your credit score (though generally only in the short term).
ALEXANDER SPATARI/GETTY IMAGES
CardMatch matches you with credit cards you are likely to be approved for based on your credit score, but getting a pre-qualified offer through CardMatch does not guarantee that you’ll be approved. Only completing an official application will give you an official approval or denial.
As always, whether you apply for a credit card offer depends entirely on your own travel goals, your credit history, whether you’re eligible for the welcome offer and whether you can complete minimum spending requirements without harming your finances. Just because a card offer is listed on the CardMatch tool doesn’t mean you’ll get approved or that you’re currently eligible to receive the bonus.
Bottom line
If you’re in the market for a new card, it’s a good idea to check the CardMatch tool periodically to see what new offers pop up since offers tend to change frequently. If you’ve been waiting for the right time to apply for a specific credit card and you come across an offer on the CardMatch tool that’s better than you’ve seen elsewhere, it’s certainly something to consider.
Check the CardMatch tool to see if you’re targeted for any special offers. These offers are subject to change at any time.
For rates and fees of the Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
