Does this welcome offer fit your budget?

Enter the offer's spending requirement and window, then the eligible spending you were going to put on the card anyway: regular monthly costs, planned larger purchases in the month they post, and any refunds you expect. The result shows your running total against the requirement, month by month, and whether your planned spending alone meets it.

The figures below are a fictional example, the same one used in our welcome bonus spending plan guide, not any card's current offer. Replace them with the requirement from the offer's own terms and your own budget. This planner only counts spending you've already planned. It will never suggest extra purchases, buying gift cards or carrying a balance to reach a bonus. Calculations run in your browser; nothing you enter is sent or saved. See our privacy notice for site analytics.

The offer

Spending requirement ($)The amount of eligible spending the offer's terms ask for.

Offer window (months)How long you have, from when the terms say the clock starts. Often that's account opening, not when the card arrives. Check the exact end date in the terms.

Regular spending you'd put on the card each month

Only costs already in your budget, such as groceries, gas, utilities, phone and subscriptions. The same amount is counted in every month of the window.

Planned one-off purchases

Larger costs you were going to pay in the window anyway, such as an annual insurance premium or a scheduled repair. Enter the month it's expected to post to the account, not just the day you buy it.

Refunds or returns you expect (optional)

Refunds and returns generally reduce your eligible total, so enter any you expect and the month they'd post.

Use dollar amounts with a decimal point (for example, 45.50). US thousands separators such as 1,000.50 are accepted. Months are whole numbers, counted from the start of the offer window: month 1 is the first month.

This planner needs JavaScript. Work it out yourself: for each month of the window, add your regular card spending and any planned one-off purchases, subtract expected refunds, and keep a running total. Compare the total at the end of the window with the requirement.

How this works

It follows steps 2 to 4 of our guide to welcome bonus spending plans that stay inside your budget: build a calendar from ordinary expenses, leave out anything that may not qualify, and track the total against the requirement.

Each month's eligible spending is your regular monthly spending, plus one-off purchases in that month, minus refunds in that month.
The running total is compared with the requirement at the end of each month. The requirement counts as met from the first month after which the total stays at or above it to the end of the window, so a later refund that pulls it back under is taken into account.
The guide suggests a buffer of 10% or more above the requirement for refunds and purchases that post late. The result tells you if your plan has less than that.
If your planned spending falls short, the result says so and shows the gap. It doesn't suggest ways to close it, because the guide's advice is that a missed bonus costs nothing; buying things you don't need, or interest, does.

Before you rely on the result

Check which purchases count in the offer's own terms and the card's rewards terms. Fees, cash advances, cash-like transactions and balance transfers are typically excluded; remove anything doubtful from your plan.
Check the exact deadline and when the clock starts in the offer's own terms, and keep a copy of the terms you applied under.
Returns and refunds can reduce eligible spend, even after you've reached the requirement. Track posted transactions, not pending ones.
Pay the card in full each month. Carrying a balance quickly costs more than a bonus is worth: see credit card interest versus rewards.

What it doesn't cover

Whether you're eligible for the offer, what the bonus is worth, or which card to choose.
Which of your purchases a particular issuer counts, or exactly when a purchase will post. Those come from the offer's terms and your account.

This planner is general education, not individual financial advice.

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