Michael Hartley

Michael Hartley is the byline behind Bonus Eagle's guides to points, miles, and credit card strategy. It stands for a single, consistent editorial voice — calm, independent, and focused on one job: helping everyday travelers and cardholders make clear, honest decisions about rewards.

The approach here is deliberately unglamorous. We are less interested in the flashiest welcome offer than in the choice that quietly fits your real life — the card whose rewards you will actually use, the annual fee that genuinely pays for itself, the redemption that is worth your points rather than merely available. We would rather tell you to pay cash, keep fewer cards, or wait than push you toward something that looks good on paper and costs you in practice.

Every article is written in plain language and reviewed for accuracy before it is published. Because card terms, fees, and offers change over time, we avoid quoting specific numbers as if they were fixed — and we point you to the issuer's official page to confirm the current details before you apply. What we aim to give you instead is the durable thinking: the frameworks and judgment that stay useful long after any single offer has changed.

Bonus Eagle is an independent site. We may earn a commission when you apply for a card through our links, but that never decides which choice we call the right one. Our recommendations come from our own analysis, and our content is not provided by, reviewed by, or endorsed by any card issuer.

You can read more about how we work in our editorial policy and advertiser disclosure.