---
title: "What is Minimum spend? | Benefit Systems"
description: "Minimum spend is the amount that must be charged to a new card within a defined period before the welcome bonus is credited."
source: "aus dem gebauten HTML abgeleitet"
---
# What is Minimum spend?

Minimum spend is the amount that must be charged to a new card within a defined period before the welcome bonus is credited.

Also called: Spending requirement.

## How it works #

Three details in the terms decide everything: which purchases count, when the clock starts, and what is explicitly excluded. Fees, cash advances, refunds and prepaid top-ups frequently do not count. If the requirement is only met by pulling purchases forward or inventing them, the bonus is not a reward but a discount on spending that would never have happened.

## Not to be confused with #

Minimum spend is not the same as a spending threshold for card benefits: one unlocks a one-off bonus, the other unlocks recurring annual perks.

## In German #

The German term is Mindestumsatz. [German version of this term](/de/glossar/mindestumsatz)

## Related terms #

- [Welcome bonus](/en/glossary/welcome-bonus): A welcome bonus is a one-off points credit for opening a new card and meeting a minimum spending requirement within a set period.
- [Merchant category code](/en/glossary/merchant-category-code): A merchant category code is the four-digit code a card network uses to classify a business, and it decides which bonus points a purchase earns.
- [Statement credit](/en/glossary/statement-credit): A statement credit is an amount the card issuer refunds against qualifying purchases instead of awarding points for them.

## Articles that use this term #

- [How much is a welcome bonus actually worth?](/en/knowledge/welcome-bonus-value)
- [Is paying taxes by credit card worth it?](/en/knowledge/paying-taxes-by-card)
- [Is paying rent by credit card worth it?](/en/knowledge/paying-rent-by-card)
- [When collecting points isn’t worth it](/en/knowledge/when-points-arent-worth-it)
- [Why your purchase didn’t earn the points you expected](/en/knowledge/missing-points)
- [Cancel the card or downgrade it?](/en/knowledge/cancel-or-downgrade)