Methodology
What “net value” means
For each offer we estimate the dollar value of the signup bonus, then subtract the first-year annual fee (after any waiver) and any monthly fees that clearly apply during the bonus window. We do not subtract minimum spend itself, opportunity cost of deposits, or long-term retention value of credits you might use later.
Formula: net value = estimated bonus value − first-year annual fee − monthly fees in window.
Personalized “as high as” offers
Some issuers (especially American Express) advertise a ceiling — “as high as X points” — and show each applicant a personalized amount. We rank using a typical, widely reported public-tier amount, not the advertised maximum. When a higher ceiling is known, we show it as a secondary note (for example, “Some people see up to 300,000 points”).
Community-recommended picks
Beyond the big affiliate roundups, PointsDen includes community picks surfaced from forums and unbiased trackers (Reddit r/churning & r/CreditCards, FlyerTalk, Frequent Miler, Doctor of Credit discussions). Those records carry a “Community pick” chip and can be filtered under Spotlight. They often include credit-union cards, fintech debit rewards, and relationship banking plays that affiliate sites under-promote.
Ongoing rewards (crypto & fintech)
Some products—Robinhood Gold Card, Coinbase cards, X Money, and similar—have little or no classic signup bonus. We still list them under Crypto & fintech because the ongoing rewards matter. When we show a dollar “net,” it is a first-year estimate assuming $2,000 per month of eligible spend at the product’s base (or clearly stated) rewards rate, minus any required membership fee treated as an annual-fee equivalent. Cards are labeled “1st-year estimate @ $2k/mo.” Deposit APY (for example X Money’s up to 6%) is described in the notes and is not folded into that spend-based estimate unless we explicitly state a deposit size. If we cannot verify a rewards rate, net value stays blank.
Cents-per-point assumptions
Cash and statement credits are valued at face value. Points and miles use conservative publicly common valuations:
| Currency | Value used |
|---|---|
| Cash / statement credit | $1.00 per $1 |
| Chase Ultimate Rewards | $2.0¢ / point |
| Amex Membership Rewards | $2.0¢ / point |
| Capital One miles | $1.5¢ / mile |
| Major airline miles (AA, Delta, United, Southwest, JetBlue, Alaska/Atmos) | $1.3¢ / mile |
| Marriott Bonvoy | $0.8¢ / point |
| Hilton Honors | $0.5¢ / point |
| Wyndham Rewards | $0.9¢ / point |
| Bank of America Premium Rewards (statement credit) | $1.0¢ / point |
| Wells Fargo Rewards | $1.5¢ / point |
Your redemption value may be higher or lower. Transferring to airline/hotel partners can beat these figures; cashing out usually underperforms them.
What we leave out
- Ongoing category earn rates and annual statement credits (unless part of the welcome package and clearly one-time).
- Portal / referral / shopping-portal stacks unless they are the bank’s own stated bonus.
- Tax treatment of bank bonuses (often reported on a 1099-INT or 1099-MISC).
Data sources & freshness
Offers are researched from public pages such as issuer sites, Doctor of Credit, The Points Guy, NerdWallet, and Bankrate. Each record has a lastVerified date and a source URL. Dataset last updated: 2026-11-05.
Fields we could not verify are left empty on the card and called out with plain-language notes (for example “Check spend details”).
Card art
The credit-card-shaped tiles on offer cards and offer pages are illustrative — stylized gradients with issuer logos, not official product images. Issuers typically license real card art only to affiliates; we may add licensed art later. Bank and crypto tiles use a different motif so they are not mistaken for plastic.
Not advice
This is not financial, tax, or credit advice. Approvals, eligibility (Chase 5/24, Amex once-per-lifetime, state residency, prior-customer lookbacks), and final terms are between you and the issuer.