How to qualify
To understand how to qualify for a referral bonus, visit Refer a friend to Chime.
Once all the steps are done, you receive $100 and your friend earns a bonus. Your friend's bonus amount depends on the active offer at the time they sign up.
Signed up without a referral link? If you opened your Chime account without using a referral link, you can’t add one later. The referral program requires the link to be used at the time of sign-up. Chime does run other promotions from time to time — keep an eye on your email and in-app notifications for any new offers.
If your bonus wasn't paid
If you referred a friend and haven't received your bonus, or your friend hasn't received theirs, start by checking their referral status under Profile > Invite friends in the Chime app. The most common reasons a bonus isn't paid are listed below.
One of the qualifying steps was missed. All three steps must be completed for either bonus to be paid: your friend signed up through your unique referral link, received a qualifying direct deposit of $200 or more within 45 days of opening their account, and activated their physical Chime card within 14 calendar days of that qualifying direct deposit. If any step was skipped, the bonus will not be applied.
The qualifying deposit came in after 45 days. The 45-day window starts from the date the Chime Checking Account was opened and cannot be extended. If the deposit arrives after that window, the bonus will not be applied.
The qualifying deposit was less than $200. The program requires a single qualifying direct deposit of $200 or more. A direct deposit under $200 does not qualify, and multiple smaller deposits do not combine to meet the threshold.
My friend received $15 instead of $100. This means they signed up through a Pay Anyone referral link, not your Standard Referral Program link. These are two separate programs with different reward amounts. Whichever link was used at sign-up applies — it cannot be changed after the fact.
I've referred more than 10 friends but stopped receiving bonuses. The Standard Referral Program allows you to earn referral rewards for up to 10 successful referrals per calendar year. Once you reach that limit, additional referrals will not generate a bonus for you, even if your friend completes all the qualifying steps. The limit resets at the start of each new calendar year.