Method
How I verify offers and value points
Where the numbers come from, which are facts, and which are assumptions.
The data has two layers
The first layer is the card library: annual fees, interest rates, earn rates and insurance for 204 cards, imported in one batch on September 6, 2026 and not checked line by line. The second layer is the verification record: welcome offers and annual fees that I read card by card on the issuer's own page. The latest check was on October 11, 2026, and 194 cards have been checked so far. When the two layers disagree, the page shows the verification record.
Since October 7, 2026, I have been checking earn rates card by card against the issuer's page, and 45 cards have been checked so far. For a checked card, the check date and source are written under the earn table. For cards not checked yet, the numbers are still the ones from the import.
Three verification statuses
- Verified: I saw the offer on the issuer's own page. Where a detail (such as a tier's spend threshold) isn't on the issuer's site and came from another site, the note says so.
- Second-hand: I could not find it on the issuer's site, so I used what another site reported within the last 45 days.
- Not verified yet: there is only imported data, or the apply-by date shown on the issuer's site at the last check has passed. Check the issuer's site before you apply.
Verification only covers the offer on the issuer's public page. If you apply through a referral link or a cash back portal, you may get something different.
What it takes to earn the full offer
This is how much you have to spend in total, and within how long, to get everything in the headline offer. For offers paid out in tiers, you still get the earlier tiers if you can't reach the top one. Some offers are also only paid once you've held the card for a year. That is noted on each card.
How points become a return rate
For a cash back card, the return rate is the cash back rate. For a points card, I first set what 1 point is worth in cents, then multiply by the points earned per $1. The table below shows the values I use now. They are assumptions, not facts: the same points can be worth quite different amounts depending on whether you use them against your statement or transfer them to miles for flights.
For points whose value differs a lot depending on how you use them, the table gives a conservative number and an optimistic one. The converted return on the page is shown as a range too, and ranking uses the conservative number. Right now only Amex MR has a range. Aeroplan is valued at $160 per 10,000 points. The rest still use the values from the import and haven't been rechecked one by one.
| Points | Cents per point | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Asia Miles | 1.8 cents | Value from the import, not rechecked |
| AAdvantage miles | 1.8 cents | Value from the import, not rechecked |
| RBC Avion points | 1.7 cents | Value from the import, not rechecked |
| Avios | 1.7 cents | Value from the import, not rechecked |
| United MileagePlus miles | 1.7 cents | Value from the import, not rechecked |
| Aeroplan points | 1.6 cents | This site's value: $160 per 10,000 points, set on October 5, 2026. |
| Flying Blue miles | 1.6 cents | Value from the import, not rechecked |
| Amex Membership Rewards points | 1–1.6 cents | Conservative: as a statement credit, which Amex lists at 1,000 points for $10. Optimistic: transferred 1:1 to Aeroplan, at the Aeroplan value. |
| CIBC Aventura points | 1.25 cents | Value from the import, not rechecked |
| Etihad Guest miles | 1.2 cents | Value from the import, not rechecked |
| Scene+ points | 1 cents | Value from the import, not rechecked |
| RBC Avion points (Premium) | 1 cents | Value from the import, not rechecked |
| WestJet points | 1 cents | Value from the import, not rechecked |
| National Bank points | 1 cents | Value from the import, not rechecked |
| VIPorter points | 1 cents | Value from the import, not rechecked |
| CIBC Adapta points | 1 cents | Value from the import, not rechecked |
| Marriott Bonvoy points | 0.9 cents | Value from the import, not rechecked |
| MBNA Rewards points | 0.83 cents | Value from the import, not rechecked |
| moi points | 0.8 cents | Value from the import, not rechecked |
| BMO Rewards points | 0.67 cents | Value from the import, not rechecked |
| BMO Blue points | 0.67 cents | Value from the import, not rechecked |
| TD Rewards points | 0.5 cents | Value from the import, not rechecked |
| Hilton Honors points | 0.5 cents | Value from the import, not rechecked |
| More Rewards points | 0.15 cents | Value from the import, not rechecked |
| PC Optimum points | 0.1 cents | Value from the import, not rechecked |
| Tims Rewards points | 0.1 cents | Value from the import, not rechecked |
In What a welcome offer is worth, you can replace these values with your own.
Things to watch with earn rates
- Bonus categories usually have a monthly or annual cap. Past the cap, the base rate applies.
- Which category a purchase falls into depends on the merchant's industry code, not on what you bought.
- Warehouse stores like Costco usually don't count as "groceries". Gift cards may not count toward bonus categories either.
- Costco takes only Mastercard in store, and Loblaws-owned grocery stores don't take Amex. However high the rate, if the store won't take the card the return is zero.