Affiliate Disclosure

Last updated: May 8, 2026

Points Compass earns money from referral and affiliate partnerships with some of the credit card issuers we cover. When you click certain card names or apply links on our site and are subsequently approved for a card, we may receive a referral bonus (in points, miles, or cash) from the issuer. This page explains how that works, in line with the Government of Canada's Competition Bureau Influencer Marketing Guidelines and PIPEDA transparency obligations.

1. What is a referral link?

A referral or affiliate link is a tagged URL that identifies Points Compass as the source of a new applicant. If you apply for a card through one of our referral links and are approved, the issuer (e.g. American Express Canada) credits us with a referral bonus.

2. Which links are referral links?

Currently, the following card names render as referral links throughout the Points Compass app and trigger a referral bonus to us when used:

  • American Express Cobalt Card
  • American Express Gold Rewards Card
  • American Express Platinum Card
  • American Express Business Gold Rewards Card
  • American Express Business Platinum Card
  • Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card

Referral links on Points Compass are styled as blue underlined text so they are visually distinct from regular informational links. We will update this list as we add or remove referral partners.

3. What we are paid

Most issuer referral programs pay us in loyalty points or miles (e.g. Membership Rewards points) rather than cash. The bonus is paid only when an applicant is approved for the card. We do not receive any portion of your annual fee, your spending, or your interest charges.

4. How this affects our recommendations

Our card recommendations, calculator outputs, and AI strategy reports are based on:

  • Earn rates published by the issuer
  • Realistic Canadian valuations of each loyalty program (cents per point)
  • Your spending profile as you enter it
  • Annual fees and credits as published by the issuer

We do not weight, rank, or surface cards based on whether they pay us a referral bonus. Many of the highest-earning Canadian cards we recommend (e.g. RBC Avion, CIBC Aeroplan, Scotiabank, BMO products) do not currently have referral programs that pay Points Compass and we recommend them anyway when they win the math.

5. You are never required to use a referral link

If you prefer not to support Points Compass through a referral, you can:

  • Apply directly on the issuer's website by typing the issuer's address into your browser
  • Use a referral link from a friend or family member instead
  • Search the card name on Google

You will receive the same product, pricing, and welcome bonus regardless of whether you use our referral link.

6. Important: not financial advice

Points Compass is an educational and analytical tool, not a licensed financial advisor or mortgage broker. Card terms, earn rates, welcome bonuses, and fees change frequently. Always confirm the current details on the issuer's official site before applying. See our Terms of Service for the full disclaimer.

7. Questions

If you have any questions about how we earn money, or if you'd like to know whether a specific link is a referral link, email ptscompass@gmail.com.