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How we estimate

Every number comes from the bank's own page. We only do the arithmetic.

Estimated net bonus

The bonus minus account fees the bank states for the time the account must stay open or the money must stay in, whichever is longer. If the offer's own steps meet the bank's fee waiver, the fee counts as $0. If we can't find the fees, the scanner flags the offer and the page shows a dash instead of a net figure. When fees take 20% or more of the advertised bonus, the card carries an amber "Heads up" note.

Estimated effective yield

What the net bonus works out to as a yearly rate on the money you must keep in:

net bonus ÷ required deposit × 365 ÷ days held

Example: $600 on $10,000 for 90 days is about 24.3%. Days held run from opening to the end of the hold. It leaves out any interest the account pays. Offers without a stated deposit and hold have no yield and sort last.