How I Started JoinForBonus

Honestly, JoinForBonus didn't start as a plan. It started because I was already spending money on a credit card and figured I might as well get something extra for it.

When I moved to the US for my Master's, the only card I could get approved for was the Discover it Student. No annual fee, 5% rotating cash back, pretty unimpressive on paper. But every time I used it on groceries or gas, I'd see a few cents come back. After a year of doing nothing different from how I was already living, I had earned a few hundred dollars in cash back.

That's when it clicked for me. The money was leaving my account either way — why not get something for it?

From Cash Back to Bank Bonuses

After Discover, I started chasing bank account bonuses. Open a checking account, set up direct deposit, get $300 a few weeks later. Close it (or keep it dormant), open another one. It was tedious, and the paperwork sometimes felt ridiculous, but it was real money for real low effort.

I'd say I made a couple thousand dollars over a year doing just this — money that just sat there waiting for anyone willing to fill out a form.

Then Points Changed Everything

Cash back is great, but it has a ceiling. 1% to 5% on what you spend is the math, full stop.

Then I learned about points and miles. Instead of earning $200 cash back on a sign-up bonus, you could earn 60,000 or 80,000 points for the same effort. Transfer those to an airline partner, and suddenly you're booking a flight that would have cost $1,200 in cash. The first time I did the math on a points redemption, it didn't feel real.

Now most of my flights and hotels are paid with points I earned from cards I'd already use for everyday spending. Groceries. Gas. Subscription bills. Same money, completely different outcome.

Why This Site Exists

I started JoinForBonus because friends kept asking me how I did it, and I kept sending them the same six links every time — Reddit threads, comparison tables, blog posts written for people who already knew what they were doing. Half the resources out there are too advanced. The other half are trying to sell you on the most expensive premium card you don't need.

I wanted a place that just explains it the way I'd explain it to a friend over coffee:

• Which card to start with
• What bonus is actually realistic to earn
• How to do this without wrecking your credit score

That's it. That's the whole site.

I'm not a finance expert. I'm just someone who figured out a system that works, made some mistakes along the way, and wanted to pass on what I learned to the next person who's curious but doesn't know where to start.

If you're new to this — start with cash back. Get comfortable. Then graduate to points when you're ready. There's no rush.

If you want the detailed version of the early part of this story, here's the playbook I used to get my first US credit card as an international student with no SSN. And if you want to understand why I push credit over debit so hard, I wrote up the math and protection gap separately.

Thanks for stopping by.