Build your 3-card stack
The simple framework: one card for your top category, one for your second, one catch-all. Worked through with real household numbers.
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Videos & Guides
Breakdowns with the math shown.
Card comparisons, rewards explained, and stack builds, newest first. Figures are accurate as of each publish date; always confirm current terms with the issuer.
Is the annual fee worth it? A 5-minute test
The break-even formula we use on every fee card, plus why year one and year two give different answers.
Read the guide →Rewards without the noise: know your categories
Groceries vs. supermarkets vs. warehouse clubs. How issuers code your purchases, and why it changes which card to use.
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Points vs. cash back: what a point is really worth
How to put a cash value on points and miles so you can compare them fairly with a flat cash-back card.
Read the guide →Sign-up bonuses: the real math
Minimum spend, timing, and opportunity cost. When a big bonus is worth chasing, and when it pushes you to overspend.
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The catch-all card: your stack's most important slot
Most spending falls outside bonus categories. Here's how to pick the card that covers everything else.
Read the guide →Run the numbers on your own spending.
The free CSO Annual Rewards Calculator does the math from these videos for your budget.
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