Stop Paying the "Time Tax" on Your Rewards
Every hour you spend managing your credit cards is time you'll never get back. Make your rewards work for you—not the other way around.
As The Wall Street Journal reports, using premium credit card rewards is becoming a part-time job.
Per Month Managing Rewards
60+ hours per year—more than a full work week
What is the "Time Tax"?
The "Mental Calendar" Cost.
To get full value from your Amex Platinum, you don't just pay $695. You also pay a Time Tax.
You must remember to:
- Open the Uber app specifically between the 1st and the 30th.
- Ensure you spend exactly $15 (not $14, or you lose $1).
- Repeat this strict ritual 12 times a year.
That is 12 deadlines you have to manage in your head. Juno removes the Time Tax by automating the tracking. We worry about the 30th of the month so you don't have to.
What You Spend Time On
- • Researching which card to use for each purchase
- • Tracking rotating categories and quarterly bonuses
- • Activating offers before they expire
- • Monitoring statement credits and airline credits
- • Comparing transfer partners and redemption options
- • Remembering to use credits before they expire
- • Managing multiple card accounts and logins
The Real Cost of Your Time
Per month
Managing rewards
Per year
A full work week
Opportunity cost
At $25/hour
Breakage
$500-$2,000/year
The Math Doesn't Work
Let's say you spend 5 hours per month optimizing your rewards and extract $1,000 in value. That's $200/hour—great, right?
Wrong. You're still missing $500-$2,000 in breakage. And you've spent 60 hours doing work that should be automated. If you value your time at $25/hour, you've effectively "paid" $1,500 in opportunity cost.
Net result: You're working for your rewards, not the other way around.
Real Examples of the Time Tax
The Quarterly Category Chase
Time: 30 min/quarter (2 hrs/year)
Value: $300/year
Time tax: $50 opportunity cost + still miss 20-30% value
The Airline Credit Game
Time: 1-2 hrs/month (12-24 hrs/year)
Value: $200-$400/year
Time tax: $300-$600 opportunity cost + lose 30-50% credits
The Transfer Partner Puzzle
Time: 2-3 hrs per redemption
Value: 1.5-2 cents/point (if available)
Time tax: Most give up, take cash at 1 cent/point = 50%+ value loss
The Multi-Card Optimization
Time: 1 hr/month (12 hrs/year)
Value: Extra 1-2% cashback
Time tax: $300 opportunity cost + constant mental overhead
Why Banks Love the Time Tax
Banks don't want you to easily maximize your rewards. The more complex and time-consuming the system, the more likely you are to:
- Give up and leave value on the table (breakage)
- Forget to activate offers or use credits
- Settle for lower-value redemptions
- Spend more trying to hit bonus categories
The time tax isn't a bug—it's a feature of the system.
Eliminate the Time Tax
Juno is the AI Auditor that scans your history to uncover lost money and eliminate the "time tax"—without the daily notifications.
Your Time: $0
Zero hours spent managing rewards
Zero mental overhead
Zero missed opportunities
Your rewards work for you—not the other way around.