Running the honest math…
Honest Points may earn a commission when you apply for a card or book a hotel through our links, and we'll tell you, in plain terms, when a card or booking isn't the right call. Here's what may earn a commission, what does not, and how the ranking code handles payouts.
Our pay doesn't change the answer.
This table is generated from the site's real configuration, so it can't drift from the truth. Right now nothing on the site is monetized: and the page will say so until that genuinely changes.
Commission from a card issuer's affiliate network when you're approved. No card on the site carries a live affiliate link yet. Every card Apply button currently points straight to the issuer's own page and earns us nothing from card applications. If an approved link is added, the recommendation engine still will not read its payout.
A small commission when you book a stay through our outbound link. No booking program is wired up yet, so our stay links are plain, working search URLs with no tracking and no commission. When one is approved it monetizes automatically: the link you see today is the same link, just untagged.
A possible future paid tier for power features. Doesn't exist yet, and may never. If we ever add one, the honest core: the optimizer, the verdict, every valuation: stays free. A paid tier would only ever sell convenience on top, never the answer itself.
“Affiliate links configured” describes the link configuration at build time. It does not establish realized revenue. “Not configured” means that revenue source has no configured affiliate links or paid feature.
Some parts of the site are kept commission-free on purpose, because earning on them would quietly corrupt the advice. These don't have a “not yet”: they have a “never.”
The verdict itself
The scoring calculation does not use affiliate links or payouts. It compares cards using costs, benefits, and your trip inputs.
The “just pay cash” answer
When cash beats points or a card doesn't clear its fee, we say so, and the verdict itself earns nothing. A hotel link beside it, when one is wired up, is labeled as paid. It's the most valuable answer we give and the one no card-pushing site is built to give.
Flight search
We hand you off to Google Flights: the same free tool we tell you to price against. No commission, so there's nothing to distort the comparison.
Award availability
We point you to seats.aero for live saver space and tell you exactly what to search. No affiliate relationship, just an honest handoff.
Affiliate payouts do not change the score.
We'd rather under-promise here. Two things will always be true, no matter how the business grows:
Want the principles behind all of this? Read what we stand for →