Credit card signup bonuses are a big part of travelling for free using miles and points — probably the biggest part. 

So, what do you do when you pull the trigger and register for that awesome signup bonus just to find that next week (or month) an even better bonus is offered? Luckily, you can often get the credit card issuer to match your offer.

Here’s how I got Chase to give me an extra 20k Ultimate Rewards Points.

The signup bonus for Chase’s Ink Bold and Ink Plus cards have been 50k each for the past few months, however, they made an announcement that for this week only the signup bonus would be increased to 60k each. Feeling like I missed out just for being ahead of the game, I checked Flyertalk to find that others had success in getting Chase to match. It’s important to note that I applied on April 1 and had already hit the minimum spend on each card — and then asked to be matched on June 19. Here’s how:

1. Login to Chase and click “Secure Message Center”

2. Click “Send new message.”

3. You’ll be prompted to select your inquiry type from a drop down. Choose “Rewards Inquiry.”

4. Next, select the account you’re writing about. If you’re like me and have 2 accounts, just choose one at a time and repeat the process. Then, set your topic as “Ultimate Rewards Program Inquiry”

5. Write them a simple message — you can use this as a guide.

6. Submit your message and wait. I submitted mine at 7:38am and already had this reply from Chase at 11:05am, less than 4 hours!

BOTTOM LINE: It never hurts to ask! Chase has great customer service and will almost always match your offer if you’ve applied for the card recently. 2.5 months late in my case!