How It Works
The math behind the math.
No pillars, no philosophy. Two things worth knowing before you trust the number on your screen: what we won’t do, and how we got there.
What we won’t do
Five commitments you can hold us to.
We won’t show you fantasy redemptions.
Points are worth what the issuer’s portal pays today, not the screenshot of a $14k Singapore Suites flight someone booked once. Amex Membership Rewards is floored at 1¢. Chase Travel uses the real portal rate. If the math doesn’t survive the floor, the card doesn’t make your list.
We won’t hide the resort fee.
Every calculator itemizes the line items families actually forget — parking, gratuities, Lightning Lane, transfers, port taxes, the $40 character breakfast. The total you see is the total you should plan for. Not the brochure number.
We won’t pretend a 2% card beats a 5% card on the same trip.
The card finder ranks on conservative first-year value: sign-up bonus at portal rates, trip earn capped at a realistic $6k of spend, annual fee subtracted before we call it a win. A flat-rate card only wins when the math says so.
We won’t let affiliate revenue change the rankings.
When we link to an issuer, we may earn a commission if you apply and get approved. We disclose it on every link — “Affiliate” means we earn, “Official issuer page” means we don’t. A card with no affiliate program still appears in your top three if it earns its place. Scoring runs on math, not commission.
We won’t email you twice.
One Tuesday email. One real trip, fully worked out. No content factory, no daily nudge, no upsell. We don’t sell your address.
The math behind the math
One real trip, every line item, every source.
Easier to trust the method when you see the work. Here’s how we got the $6,954 in the Disney calculator example — party of 4, moderate resort, 5 nights, 4 park days, mid-season, typical add-ons.
| Line item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Resort (5 nights, moderate tier, mid-season avg) Disney published 2026 rack rates — Caribbean Beach, Coronado, Port Orleans | $1,830 |
| Base tickets (4 days × 4 people, multi-day discount applied) Disney World 2026 ticket pricing, 4-day base with discount curve | $2,520 |
| Lightning Lane Multi Pass (4 days) $29/person/day mid-season average, Disney published rate | $464 |
| In-park dining (typical 2 QS + 1 TS dinner) Touring Plans 2026 per-guest-per-day spend data | $1,075 |
| Snacks & drinks (4 people × 4 days) Disney mobile order menu averages, $25/person/day | $400 |
| Memory Maker photos Disney published price, advance-purchase rate | $185 |
| Airport transport (round trip) Lyft published Orlando MCO ↔ resort rates, May 2026 | $130 |
| Tips (housekeeping + dining) $5/night housekeeping + 18% on TS meals | $150 |
| Souvenirs (conservative) $50/person budget — well below typical family spend | $200 |
| Estimated total | $6,954 |
Every line item sourced. Every number rounded up, not down. The same logic runs across all 8 calculators.
Where the conservative bias lives
We round up on costs, not down. We use peak-season averages, not off-peak floors. We assume one sit-down meal per day, not zero. We never pad — we just refuse to under-count.
What changes a real trip
Season (off-peak Disney runs 15–25% under these numbers), resort tier (a value resort cuts $1,200+), whether you skip Lightning Lane. The calculator lets you toggle every one.
What this means for the card math
“You keep $1,088” on a Sapphire Preferred isn’t a maximum — it’s what you’d actually receive given the sign-up bonus at portal rates, trip earn at quoted multipliers, and the $95 annual fee already subtracted. We do not show transfer-partner upside. If a card needs aspirational math to look good, it won’t make the list.
Ready to run the numbers?
Pick the trip you’re planning, or find the card that fits how you spend.
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