CardPicker

Methodology

The rules behind every recommendation

CardPicker separates published product requirements from community-reported approval and repeat-bonus patterns. The latter are useful planning signals, not guarantees.

Issuer eligibility rules

American Express

Published

Once per lifetime, per card

Reviewed 2026-09-06: current Cobalt and Green offers exclude current/former holders of the same product. Green also excludes former Choice holders; record Choice as Green in card history.

TD

Published

12-month cooldown

Reviewed 2026-09-06: TD Aeroplan offers exclude Aeroplan openings within 12 months. First Class Travel uses a same-product 12-month exclusion. Aeroplan cross-issuer same-category history requires separate eligibility review.

  • aeroplan: 12-month family cooldown

CIBC

Published

12-month cooldown

Reviewed 2026-09-06: Aventura excludes same-family accounts opened, transferred or cancelled within 12 months. Eligibility for other CIBC products remains offer-specific.

  • aeroplan: 12-month family cooldown
  • aventura: 12-month family cooldown

BMO

Community-reported

No published repeat-bonus allowance established

Reviewed 2026-08-04. Current BMO terms use offer-period, same-product exclusions that this schema cannot represent; no universal cooldown is encoded. Treat each BMO offer's terms as authoritative.

Scotiabank

Published

24-month cooldown

Reviewed 2026-09-06: Gold Amex, Passport Infinite + and Momentum Infinite + offers exclude primary or secondary holders of any Scotiabank personal card in the past 2 years.

MBNA

Community-reported

24-month cooldown

Reviewed 2026-08-04. MBNA offer eligibility remains product- and channel-specific and may differ in Quebec; retain the conservative community-reported 24-month rule.

RBC

Community-reported

24-month cooldown

Reviewed 2026-08-04. RBC eligibility language is offer-specific; the 24-month Avion rule remains community-reported and should be applied conservatively.

  • avion: 24-month family cooldown

National Bank

Community-reported

12-month cooldown

Reviewed 2026-08-04. National Bank's public offer pages do not establish a universal issuer-wide window; retain the conservative community-reported 12-month rule.

Rogers Bank

Community-reported

12-month cooldown

Reviewed 2026-08-04. Rogers Bank publishes offer-specific new-account eligibility rather than a universal issuer cooldown; retain the conservative 12-month rule pending explicit terms.

Neo Financial

Community-reported

12-month cooldown

Reviewed 2026-08-04. No issuer-owned universal cooldown or public welcome credit was found; the unsupported seed offer is inactive.

Brim Financial

Community-reported

12-month cooldown

Reviewed 2026-08-04. No issuer-owned universal cooldown or public fixed welcome bonus was found; unsupported seed offers are inactive.

How expected value is calculated

Estimated additional value during this plan = achievable bonuses + rewards above keeping your current cards or earning 1% − fees due during the plan, including renewal fees needed for counted bonuses.

  • Point values are house estimates, not cash guarantees; redemption choices can produce materially different results.
  • One shared spending budget is divided across cards after each opening date. Spending is split evenly among your selected categories. Reviewed earn caps and rewards you give up on existing cards are included; spending is never counted twice. A large expense with only a month recorded becomes available at that month’s end; an undated expense adds no bonus-spending room.
  • Only achievable milestones within the plan period count. The advertised maximum may be higher. Statement-cycle deadlines are conservative estimates until you record the first statement date; monthly statement bonuses are excluded while the cycle is unknown. Processing delays can move actual payment beyond the estimate.
  • Lounge access, checked bags, insurance, and other situational perks are displayed separately.
  • Approval, credit-score impact, interest, taxes, and the value of your time are not included.

When fewer applications make sense

CardPicker pauses rewards applications when you carry an interest-bearing card balance, expect major borrowing soon, or report a score below 650. These are our planning safeguards, not issuer approval thresholds. Unknown scores and the 650–699 band limit planning to two applications per year. Recent applications reduce your selected allowance.

Each new application must add at least $50 of estimated value within this 12-month plan after accounting for the rest of the portfolio. This is our planning policy, not an issuer rule or a price for a credit inquiry. Existing card obligations remain reserved regardless of this threshold. Choosing cash back limits new recommendations to cash-back programs; a small reviewed catalogue may yield no suitable recommendation.

We reserve 10% of planned spending when checking bonus deadlines. Approval odds, borrowing costs and payment-processing fees are not predicted. A partner needs their own profile, card history and spending budget.

A fee reminder is a review date. Confirm bonus posting, retention conditions, benefits and the issuer’s options before closing or changing a card. For Amex history, record a former Choice card under Green because the welcome-offer restriction covers both.