Credit card churning is the process of repeatedly acquiring new credit cards for the purpose of earning the cards' sign-up bonuses, which may come in the form of large quantities of air miles or rewards points, large amounts of cashback or a welcome gift. If there is a target spending requirement in order to qualify for the bonus, card churners use the card until the target is reached, pocket the bonus and then stop using the card – long before the next annual fee is due to be charged. Miles and points are a great way to travel for free, hence the appeal of card churning to speed up the process. But there are some dangers attached to churning. You might find yourself spending more than you can afford, just to meet the spending target within the short time frame allowed. And if you then don't pay off your balance in full at the end of each month, you could end up paying more in interest charges than the sign-up credit card promotions are worth. Finally, you could damage your credit score, since every application for credit that you make is reported to credit bureaux and will reduce your score.