Strategy

Sequencing bonuses, parking cash, and deciding when an offer is worth the afternoon.

Strategy

CardPointers alternatives: which card-rewards app fits you?

Track sign-up bonuses without linking your bank: CardLab vs Travel Freely, Tallio, CardPointers and a Google Sheet, plus MaxRewards and AwardWallet. Oct 2026.

6 min read · 9 sources

Latest articles

35 articles
Bank bonuses

Bank promo APY vs a cash sign-up bonus

A promo APY pays while the rate lasts. A cash bank bonus pays once after you clear deposits or holds. Compare both on the same cash and the same days.

1 min read · 3 sources
Card offers

Which credit card perks are worth an annual fee?

A perk is worth an annual fee when credits and lounge access you actually use clear the fee in a normal year of travel.

1 min read · 2 sources
Strategy

When should you use a points transfer bonus?

Use a transfer bonus when a real itinerary needs those miles and the bonus beats cash back. Skip it when you have no trip planned.

1 min read · 2 sources
Which card

Miles vs cash back: which wins for your spend?

Miles win when you redeem above your cash-back rate on trips you would take. Cash back wins when you want dollars without award charts or transfer partners.

1 min read · 2 sources
Card offers

Are credit card welcome bonuses worth it?

A welcome bonus is worth it when net value after fee, displaced rewards, and spend you would not make still beats your everyday card over the same months.

1 min read · 3 sources
Card offers

Credit card sign-up bonus minimum spend, priced honestly

A sign-up bonus is only as good as the spend you must clear. Here is how to price minimum spend, the window, and the fee against the bonus you keep.

2 min read · 2 sources
Strategy

What is a calculator card?

Calculator card searches usually want bonus, payoff, or interest math. Here is what that query means, and which CardLab calculators answer it.

2 min read · 2 sources
Card offers

Are annual fee credit cards worth it, and how do you check?

Six widely searched cards, their published fees, and the one calculation that answers the question with your own spending instead of a reviewer's.

4 min read · 7 sources
Which card

Which credit card should I use for this purchase?

Four facts decide which card to reach for, and three are printed on the issuer's page. The order to check them in, worked through on real published rates.

4 min read · 5 sources
Bank bonuses

What is a clawback window, and when is the first safe day to close?

The stretch after opening when closing can cost the bonus or a fee. Where to find it in your terms, how to date your first safe day, and what silence means.

3 min read · 2 sources
Card mechanics

Foreign transaction fees, and the currency question you should always answer the same way

Two charges apply when you pay abroad, and only one is your bank's. Real fees from six issuers on four continents, and the screen you should always decline.

4 min read · 8 sources
Bank bonuses

Is a bank bonus worth it? The arithmetic that answers it

How to judge a bank bonus on the cash it locks up and the days it takes: committed days, net bonus, annualised return, and the savings rate it has to beat.

4 min read · 2 sources

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