Using a Critical Eye towards Travel Rewards Card “Tip” Sites

While surfing the internet for info on travel rewards cards, you may have come across a website offering advice, tips, and recommendations. The design of these sites is fairly simple. They will provide a one paragraph description of a travel card. The description is often glowing and positive. It is not out of the norm for the site to refer to a particular card as the absolute best of the best. The site will then recommend you click on the card image and follow it to an application page.

Wait a minute. Upon closer inspection, it is obvious this review is repeated verbatim for every on the page. Hmmm. Does this all sound a little odd? Can every card be a top of the line card? Maybe or maybe not. However, it is doubtful that the person running the site has any experience with these cards. In reality, the site is an affiliate marketing site designed for earning commissions.

That is, the pictures of the travel rewards cards are affiliate advertisement banners. If a visitor to the site clicks on the ad and fills out an application, the publisher of the website receives a payment. This payment could be anywhere from $35 – $100. That is why there is a slew of mini “reviews” crammed into its small pages. Potential customers will probably not wander beyond the first page.

Let’s get something straight: there is absolutely nothing wrong with what the website publisher is doing. Promoting advertisements for travel cards is not wrong. However, presenting these ads as reviews is somewhat duplicit. That is why one needs to possess a critical eye when skimming such sites. You do want to apply for a solid card. Duplicit “reviews” might undermine this purpose. So, be wary of review sites you might come across.