Strategy & Optimization
The Beginner's Guide to Credit Card Churning
Everything you need to know before opening your first rewards card: rules, risks, vocabulary, and where to start.
FiremanDecko
2025-11-04 · 15 min read
Contents
What is credit card churning?
Credit card churning is the practice of strategically opening new credit cards to earn sign-up bonuses, then managing those cards to minimize fees while maximizing rewards.
Key vocabulary
- SUB — Sign-Up Bonus: the points or cash you earn after meeting the minimum spend requirement.
- MSR — Minimum Spend Requirement: the spend threshold you must hit to earn the SUB.
- AF — Annual Fee: the yearly cost to hold the card.
- CPP — Cents Per Point: a measure of point value when redeemed.
Where to start
- Understand your credit score — you'll need 700+ for most premium cards.
- Learn issuer velocity rules before applying (5/24 for Chase, 2/90 for Amex).
- Start with one card, meet the MSR, then plan your next move.
Written by
FiremanDeckoPrincipal Engineer
FiremanDecko is the Principal Engineer at Fenrir Ledger. He has been churning since 2018, currently managing a multi-issuer portfolio while building the tools he wished existed when he started.
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