A free, beginner-friendly primer · Updated 2026-07-06
Banks pay people to switch. You just don't know the rules.
Earn $500–$3,000 a year from US credit-card and bank sign-up bonuses, without hurting your credit. We explain how, in plain English.
How it works
Three steps. About 2–4 months from start to bonus payout.
Open
Pick a bonus from the catalog. Apply online — usually 5 minutes.
Hit the requirement
Spend $4,000 over 3 months, or set up a direct deposit. Things you'd do anyway.
Get paid
Bonus posts to your account: $300 for a bank, $200–$2,250 for a card.
This week's picks
Five offers worth your attention right now.
Reader reports
Verified earnings — name, city, and year — from our 1,284-report database.
I thought this was a scam when my friend first told me. Six weeks in I had $600 from moving my paycheck. By month 12 it was $1,800 — across three banks and one card, with zero impact on my credit score.
My partner and I each did the same Chase bonus. Free honeymoon flights to Tokyo. Six months earlier I didn't even know this was a thing real people did.
I'd never opened a bank account on purpose. The Chase $300 was my first try — six weeks from sign-up to deposit. Already lining up the next one for fall semester.
The guide took me an afternoon to read. Three years later, it's paid for every vacation we've taken — Lisbon, Tokyo, Mexico. Stop leaving money on the table.
Reader reports are self-submitted and verified against bonus posting dates. Earnings are net of annual fees. How we verify →
The questions everyone asks first
If you have a question this doesn't answer, the full guide probably does.
Will this wreck my credit score?
Short answer: no. Each application is a small, temporary dip (5–10 points) that recovers in a few months. Responsible bonus hunters increase their score over time — more total credit, longer average age.
Is this affiliate marketing in disguise?
Some links pay us, some don't. We disclose both. We'll never rank a worse bonus above a better one because of a referral kickback — and we publish our methodology.
How much time does this take?
About 30 minutes to open an account. Then the requirement happens naturally through normal spending or direct deposit. Most readers spend less than 2 hours per bonus, total.
Do I pay taxes on the bonus?
Bank bonuses: yes, treated as interest income (1099-INT). Credit card bonuses: usually no — the IRS treats them as rebates on spending. We cover the edge cases in the guide.
What if I mess up a requirement?
You don't get the bonus — but you don't get punished either. Worst case you close the account. We teach you how to set calendar reminders so this never happens.
How is this different from a blog?
Blogs bury you in 3,000-word SEO posts. We write for humans who want a plan, not a history lesson.
Your first bonus is 30 minutes away
Start with a single, absurdly easy one. Build from there.