- Welcome bonus / MSR: Extra points (or cash back) after you meet a minimum spend in a set window. Only count spend you’ll actually do.
- Annual fee (AF): Yearly cost of keeping the card. Weigh credits + earning vs the fee before anniversary.
- Transferable points: Bank currencies (e.g. Chase UR, Amex MR, Cap One) you can move to airline/hotel partners.
- Transfer partner: The airline or hotel program that receives those points.
- Award space: Seats/nights the program will sell for points (can disappear).
- Portal (shopping): Click-through (e.g. Rakuten) before you buy to earn cash back/points — confirm the rate first.
- Bank travel portal: Book travel with points through the issuer (convenient; often weaker value than a good transfer).
- CPP (cents per point): Rough value = cash price ÷ points. A guide, not gospel — your trip decides.
Don’t confuse: Miles (airline) vs points (bank/hotel) — both can book trips; flexibility differs.
Next: Free First 100K checklist — order of operations from zero.
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