minmaxyourpoints

◆ Why this page

Plain-English answers.

What cents-per-point, transfer partners, sign-up bonuses, and the rest of the jargon actually mean — plus answers to common questions about how this site works.

◆ Glossary

Cents per point (cpp)

The dollar value of one point or mile, expressed in cents. If Hyatt points are worth 1.7¢/pt to you, a 60,000-point award room is worth $1,020. We use your own valuations whenever you set them on /settings/valuations.

Sign-up bonus (SUB)

Bonus points you earn after spending a minimum amount in the first few months on a new card. Often the single most lucrative part of a card. Most issuers limit how often you can earn the SUB on the same product (Chase: 48 months. Amex: usually once per lifetime).

Minimum spend

The amount you have to put on a new card within the SUB window (typically 3 months) to earn the bonus. Don't open a card with a higher minimum spend than your normal spending — manufactured spend isn't in scope here.

Transfer partner

A loyalty program that a flexible currency (Chase UR, Amex MR, Citi TYP, Cap One Miles, Bilt) can move points to, usually 1:1. The flex-currency cpp goes up dramatically when you transfer to the right partner — e.g. 1 Chase UR = 1.7+¢ when transferred to Hyatt for a Cat 6 award.

Annual fee (AF)

Charged once a year on the card's opening anniversary. Worth it when the card's ongoing rewards + statement credits + perks comfortably exceed the fee for your spending pattern.

Statement credit

A flat amount the issuer reimburses each year for specific spend (travel, dining, Uber, Walmart+, etc). Counts against the effective annual fee only if you actually use it.

Primary vs secondary rental coverage

Primary insurance pays out without first filing on your personal auto policy — better. Secondary pays only after your personal insurance has paid (or refused). Premium travel cards usually have primary; most cash-back cards are secondary.

MCC (merchant category code)

The 4-digit code a merchant uses to categorize itself with the card networks. Determines which category bonus your card pays. The catch: codes can be wrong or counter-intuitive — Walmart usually doesn't code as groceries, Costco rejects most Visas, Target codes as Target.

5/24

Chase's soft rule: if you've opened five or more credit cards (any issuer) in the last 24 months, you'll usually be denied for new Chase cards. Doesn't apply to Chase business cards in some cases.

Award chart sweet spot

A redemption that disproportionately rewards you for the points spent — e.g. transferring 95K Chase UR to Virgin Atlantic for a round-trip business-class seat to Tokyo on ANA.

◆ How this site works

Is it free?

Yes. No paywalls, no premium tier today. The recommender doesn't know about affiliate revenue — rankings are pure math, by design.

Why do I have to enter my cards manually?

Because we don't connect to your bank. No Plaid, no read access to your accounts, no credentials anywhere. Privacy is a product feature here, not a policy.

How current is the card data?

Each card carries a “Verified [month]” tag in its detail page header. We hand-curate from issuer benefits pages and run a weekly drift check against the live pages. If you spot something wrong, every card has a “Something looks wrong?” button at the bottom of its detail view.

Why are the cents-per-point values different from other sites?

They're defaults. The recommender uses your valuations whenever you set them — overrides on /settings/valuations. Hidden default cpps that drive recommendations are the opposite of what we want.

Can I trust the recommendations if you might earn affiliate revenue?

The ranking engine in src/lib/recommenderdoesn't import affiliate data — it can't see referral payouts even if they existed. Affiliate links would be attached as a separate layer downstream of ranking, not as inputs to it. Today there are no active affiliate relationships at all; the “Apply” button opens the issuer's page with no tracking.

Why didn't you recommend a card I think is obviously better?

Two likely causes: (1) the card has a higher cpp on the points it earns, but lower effective cents-per-dollar after the multiplier math; or (2) you set your own valuations to numbers that change the ranking. Click any recommendation — every one carries the math behind it.

What happens if I close a card?

Click “Closed it” on the card row in your wallet. The card moves to the “Cards you've had before” section on /cards, so we keep the SUB-eligibility timer running for re-application decisions. Closing a card is different from removing it — removal assumes you never had it.

How do you handle group / household goals?

We don't yet. The goal planner scales flights linearly per traveler but doesn't model points pooling across household members or per-person card differences. Phase 2.

Can you recommend a first card if I'm new to credit?

Yes — start with the beginner quiz. Five questions, one card recommendation, no affiliate weighting.

Something's wrong with my card data. How do I tell you?

Open the card's detail page (click any card name from your wallet). At the bottom you'll see “Something looks wrong?” — write what you spotted. We triage in an admin queue.

◆ Still stuck?

Email us via the contact form and we'll respond. If you hit a bug, mention what page you were on and what you clicked.