10 ways to meet a credit card minimum spending requirement

Many travel credit cards feature excellent welcome bonuses for new cardholders. However, you generally need to spend a particular amount on your new card within a specific time period to earn the bonus — and this required spending may exceed what you would typically spend on credit cards.As such, we frequently get the question: "How do I hit the minimum requirement if I don't normally spend that much on credit cards?" After all, you don't want to make unnecessary or extravagant purchases, but you also don't want to miss out on earning a valuable welcome bonus.So, let's discuss some strategies for meeting the minimum spending requirements on a new card.Important considerationsBefore I introduce ways to meet the minimum spending threshold on your new card, let's go through a few critical points.First, note that paying your card's annual fee usually does not count toward the required minimum spending amount. Returns, statement credits and refunded purchases may also reduce your qualifying spending.WESTEND61/GETTY IMAGESSecond, read the fine print regarding eligibility for the welcome offer. After all, most cards restrict who can earn a bonus and the types of purchases that count towar...