How we rank (and how we make money)

Bank bonuses and rates

We rank by one number: the dollars you keep.

Dollars you keep = bonus + interest earned − estimated fees

You enter an amount and how many days you can park it. For each offer we add the cash bonus, add the interest the account pays on that amount over those days (APY × amount × days ÷ 365), and subtract any monthly fees you'd pay. Biggest number wins; ties go to the bigger bonus. Example: a $300 bonus plus $112 interest on $15,000 over 90 days, no fees, shows as +$412.

Savings accounts and CDs have no bonus, so their "dollars you keep" is just the interest, and we show their plain APY next to it. You'll also see a small grey "equals ~X% annualized" line on bonus offers: that's only for comparison. We don't rank by it, because annualizing a one-time bonus can make it look like a sky-high rate.

• An offer only appears if your amount meets its minimum and your days cover its holding period.
• Direct-deposit offers assume you meet the top direct-deposit tier.
• Fees: we subtract monthly fees only when the offer's own requirements don't waive them.
• CDs only appear when your days cover the full term.

Where the data comes from

Every offer is checked against the bank or brokerage's own page; we quote the terms and link the source. A script re-checks those pages and flags changes for review. If we can't verify an offer, it isn't listed. Credit-pull info comes from public reader data points and is labelled as such.

Affiliate disclosure (FTC)

Some links may be affiliate links, meaning CashWars may be paid if you open an account. That payment never changes the rank order, which is pure math. Paid placements are labelled "Sponsored" and kept separate from the ranking.

Not financial advice

CashWars is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice. Bonuses are usually reported as taxable income. Confirm all terms with the institution.

Brokerage Battles

Brokerage bonuses are ranked separately by the dollars you keep, which is simply the bonus for your deposit. Ties go to the shorter time your money must stay. We use the hold period and payout schedule the broker states (installment matches count over the full payout period), value stock bonuses at the dollar amount the broker states, and ignore market performance. No crypto offers are listed.

Business Funding Battles

Business lenders and marketplaces are not ranked. We list facts each provider publishes on its own site, link the source, and show APR in its own column. Where a number isn't published, we say so.

Student Loan Battles

Student lenders are not ranked. We show each lender's advertised fixed and variable APR ranges, the date they were valid, and link the lender's own page.

Mortgage Rate Watch

National weekly averages from Freddie Mac's PMMS via FRED. Not offers, no affiliate links.