Credit cards in the modern day have become a game where casual consumers obsess over earnings points, spend hours researching their next card, and fixate on getting the best rewards possible. In the past decade, publications and influencers have emerged, promising to help people navigate this ever-growing complexity of products and perks - and banks have paid them millions to keep up this frenzy on top of the usual TV, direct-mail, and online ads. All this gamification exists for a reason - credit cards are a highly profitable business. Getting people to project their vacations, lifestyle, and social status onto these tiny pieces of plastic and metal is all part of the plan. If people care so much that they’ll even spend their free time thinking about their next card, the money will keep flowing.