A number without a date is not a number, it is a rumour.
How figures are verified and dated
Every number on this site is read from a source, given a date, and labelled with the kind of statement it is. A page that cannot do that for a figure does not carry the figure.
The source ladder
Sources are ranked, and a higher one outranks a lower one wherever they disagree.
Programme terms
The rules the programme itself publishes.
Programme FAQ and help pages
Explanations of those rules, one step less formal.
Dated promotions
Coupons, bonus windows and offers with their own validity dates.
Documented observations
Counts and measurements taken from using the programmes, with the date of the observation.
Editorial calculations
Arithmetic over the inputs above, with the formula and the assumptions shown.
The four labels
A figures page marks every claim with one of four labels. The cards below show each one as it reads on the pages, using real examples from the PAYBACK earn page.
Dates
Every figure carries the date it was checked against its source. A promotion also carries the date it stops holding.
A page states the date its content last changed, and the sitemap repeats it.
A figure whose date no longer covers the terms is re-read or removed, never softened.
Calculations
A claim that involves arithmetic publishes its formula. A reader with the inputs can reproduce the result.
Where a figure assumes something, the assumption is written beside the figure: taxes excluded, one-way, economy, peak or off-peak.
The rule against incremental spend
Points are never counted as a reason for a purchase that would not make sense without them.
A calculation on this site shows what an ordinary purchase returns. It never shows what to buy.
Frequently asked questions
Where do the numbers come from?
You can trace every number to the programmes' own terms, read on the date the page states. Where a rate belongs to a partner, the partner's own PAYBACK page decides it, not this site. PAYBACK
How do I read a labelled claim?
The label above a claim says what kind of statement follows: a term of the programme, a measurement, arithmetic with its formula, or the site's judgement. The example cards above show all four. How points work
What happens when a programme changes?
A figure you read holds from the date it was checked, not before it. When terms move, the page is re-read and the check date moves with it. Glossary