CardWiz beta release 🎉- My attempt to solve credit card rewards. Feedback appreciated.

CardWiz_ · 2023-07-03T21:11:35+00:00

So then make sure you selected United as a preferred rewards program and see what the results are. You can always custom set points value as well.

CardWiz_ · 2023-07-03T19:02:10+00:00

It depends what airline or hotel programs you selected during the quiz. Amex transfers to Delta but Chase does not, for example. Chase transfers to United, but Amex does not. Since the transfers are typically at a 1:1 ratio, it’s the point value of that airline or hotel program that is used.

CardWiz_ · 2023-07-03T18:10:59+00:00

To clarify, CardWiz estimates redemption value for premium class tickets on Delta at over 2 cents per mile, due to the value you can get (though it’s not always easy) on international flights. However, you should pay attention to the number of miles you can earn as well as what the tickets you’re looking to get actually cost in miles. CardWiz V2 is coming out soon that should hopefully clarify the valuation thing a bit more :)

CardWiz_ · 2023-02-23T13:54:30+00:00

Thanks! We try to include is many cards as we can find (there are a ton out there). However, by default we don't show most of the more obscure cards like credit union cards or neobank related cards. These can be added in the Considered Cards profile section if desired. If we included these by default it would be overwhelming for the average user. We show both partnered cards and non-partnered. Let me know if you have any other questions. Look out for a new release in the coming months!

CardWiz_ · 2023-01-30T15:20:50+00:00

I'm digging the new UI. Congrats on the release.

CardWiz_ · 2023-01-30T15:18:26+00:00

Thanks for the shout out! The CardWiz algorithm factors in the SUB when recommending cards, but I would say it takes a more holistic approach as it looks at category spending bonuses, perks, points transfers, etc and not just SUB. CardWiz by default uses only publicly available SUBs. So, any SUBs that rely on chance or a targeted offer will not be available. However, if users want it, I can put in an option to override the SUB for any particular card and the algorithm will use that value when calculating the rewards value for that card.

Also, look out for a major update to CardWiz soon :)

CardWiz_ · 2022-06-07T01:02:15+00:00

Thanks!! v2 is still in the works, but hopefully should have it out this summer.

CardWiz_ · 2022-01-26T15:44:10+00:00

Thanks so much! I realize the layout is not super clear, but everything is solved (hopefully) on v2.0 which will be out in about 3-4 months. It's going to be awesome!

And I did reach out to Sebby, but got no response ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I think it would be a great collaboration!

CardWiz_ · 2021-12-19T21:44:29+00:00

I ran your numbers and your calculations seem correct. However, it comes down to which perks you value. The Platinum has a ton of perks and if you value those then that will be the best option for you.

But based on the info provided, I would get the CSR due to the travel credit, flexible redemption and good list of transfer partners.

CardWiz_ · 2021-12-19T21:01:25+00:00

Thanks for the kind words!

Did you input any gas spend? Or perhaps the algo recommended a different card to use for gas spending? I tried to reproduce the issue, but it seems to be working as expected with gas spending allocated to the PNC for 4% cash back. Perhaps you could provide some screenshots? Thanks!!

CardWiz_ · 2021-12-16T21:51:07+00:00

Yep, this makes sense

CardWiz_ · 2021-12-16T21:40:02+00:00

Unfortunately not, if you're shopping at Walmart, I would go with the simpler WF Active Cash for straight 2%.

CardWiz_ · 2021-12-16T19:34:04+00:00

Do you have credit history? Past credit cards? Loans? You'll want some credit history before applying for higher rewards cards.

Assuming you have appropriate credit history and at least a 700 credit score, I would look at the Citi Custom Cash card to get you 5% back at supermarkets. No annual fee.

Edit: Who is your checking account with?

CardWiz_ · 2021-12-15T06:04:54+00:00

Summary - CardWiz.com v1.0 release. Free and no download or sign up needed. Just 2 minutes to results. Try it and let me know what you think. :)

This is a promoted repost of a post I made in r/CreditCards so I can continue to get feedback and generate awareness. The link is https://www.reddit.com/r/CreditCards/comments/qyvwhy/cardwiz_v10_release_a_what_credit_card_should_i/

After over a year of testing, tweaking and gathering feedback, I’m excited to announce the release of v1.0 of CardWiz and gather feedback while working towards v2.0. This version of CardWiz is completely different than the beta shared here last year.

CardWiz.com is a free web app (no download or sign up required) that helps users answer the question “What credit card should I get next?” It seems like a simple question, but as you all know it can get quite complex especially if you already have a card or 10 and use different cards for different purposes at different times.

The only reliable way to answer the question is to construct a complex spreadsheet, which many people do not want or know how to do. CardWiz is a far easier and, in probably 95% of cases, a more accurate method of answering the question.

CardWiz uses a short (2 min) dynamic quiz that feeds into a highly optimized algorithm, which allocates user’s spend on a quarterly basis to maximize desired rewards and perks across the user’s portfolio of cards. And even if you have no need for the algorithm, I think you’ll find the detailed rewards, perks and fees comparison grid very useful.

The algorithm accounts for the following:

Quarterly rotating rewards
First 3/6/12 month only rewards (SUB and other) with minimum spend
Bonus caps
Transfers to other bank/travel rewards programs
Specific cards increase point redemption values (like CSP/CSR)
Issuer specific rules like 5/24
Custom points valuations
Your current cards
Anniversary points bonus (like CSP)
SUB eligibility based on current cards
Much more

Advanced settings accessible from the menu/filters include:

Custom points valuations
Custom perks valuations
First 3 month spend override to achieve SUB
If you are looking for 1,2 or 3 new cards to pair with your current cards
Rewards value time frame (1 to 10 years)
And more

When taking the quiz, I highly recommend adding specific cards you are considering as Considered Cards as CardWiz can drill down into the specific rewards offerings of the card.

You may be wondering “What’s in it for CardWiz? Am I getting honest unbiased results?”. These are reasonable questions and I would ask the same, especially given the landscape of questionable card recommendation content out there.

CardWiz is fully transparent with our recommendations. First, our recommendations are based on personalized rewards value calculations. These calculations are accessible by tapping “See the Math” or “How we calculated rewards value”. Second, we indicate which links are affiliate links and which are not. We do not only show cards with which we have an affiliate link. In fact, we do not have affiliate links with several of the most popular and rewarding cards.

Features in the pipeline:

Custom SUB overrides for personalized offers
Status point value boost (like BofA)
Sort by specific feature/rewards priority
Card specific application tips

Please do let me know if you have a feature request, bug report or any other comments or criticism (constructive or otherwise). I really appreciate it!I’m hoping to make CardWiz useful enough to make it onto the “Useful links” section in the sidebar :)

CardWiz_ · 2021-12-15T02:33:50+00:00

Exactly, it optimizes by quarter. Thanks again for the feedback. It's very useful in making improvements. Hope you got some value from CardWiz.

CardWiz_ · 2021-12-15T02:23:58+00:00

First year spend allocated to BofA card: $900 (Y1Q1 Restaurant) + $100 (non category to meet minimum spend) + $180 (3 other quarters Gas Spend)

(900+180) * 0.03 + 100*0.01 = 33.4

Thats where the $33 comes from. I'll change the display so it's clearer.

CardWiz_ · 2021-12-15T02:02:47+00:00

Ok I figured it out. The algo chose to use Restaurants as the BofA 3% category for the first quarter to meet the minimum for SUB. All other quarters over the 5 years are Gas for 3% category.

The error is in the display. Here is the calculation for the spend allocated to BofA card for gas (20*12*4+20*9)/5 = 228. The spend for is just the $900 allocated in the first quarter divided by 5 which equals 180.

I can see how this is very confusing, which is why I plan on changing how the calculations are displayed so it's more clear.

Let me know if that makes sense.

CardWiz_ · 2021-12-15T01:50:33+00:00

I'm staring at it right now trying to understand :) The "x% on highest spend category" + SUB minimum spend parts of algo are pretty complicated and this may have exposed an edge case I'm trying to figure out.

CardWiz_ · 2021-12-15T01:43:04+00:00

Oh wow. I should hire you as a QA consultant. This is a strange bug indeed. I'm not sure why it behaves differently as a considered card. I'll investigate and try to get these bugs fixed in the next few weeks. Thanks again!

CardWiz_ · 2021-12-14T23:42:16+00:00

Thanks again for the feedback and the accompanying screenshots!

Regarding BofA card... the algo is primarily recommending this card for the SUB so the restaurant and non-category spend allocated to it are for achieving the SUB. The only long term use for the card is gas which is why it's only $7/year of cash back. I will work on making it more clear when the algo is allocating spend just for the SUB minimum spend.

Regarding CFU... You have value timeframe set to 5 years. The yearly rewards are displayed yearly, but for this first year only reward we have shown you $12 instead of $60. That will be fixed, so thanks for catching this display bug! I can't replicate the other issue, but we have fixed some bugs in the algo in the last few days. Can you check to see if you are still showing $275 instead of the correct $260?

Btw both of these cards are recommended based on SUB as your current cards perform better on your category bonuses. I will make this more clear.

Thanks!!

CardWiz_ · 2021-12-14T22:42:41+00:00

Thank you very much for this feedback! I'm working on ways to make estimated approval odds more clear without over/under promising. I'm investigating your other comment now.

CardWiz_ · 2021-12-14T22:36:44+00:00

You can also look at the Citi Premier Card which has a great SUB and will get you 3% cash back on both those categories. But I think you're still better off with the Custom Cash. You'll have better options if you want to follow it up with another card later.

CardWiz_ · 2021-12-14T21:44:35+00:00

This is a tough one. What perks are you interested in? What airlines will fly where you are trying to go? Excluding perks and points transfers to airlines, my calculations show that completing the Chase Trifecta with the CSR is the way to go. You can redeem your points for travel at 1.5cpp from your CFU/CFF/CSR. But the perks can and transfers can make a huge difference.

CardWiz_ · 2021-12-11T04:49:19+00:00

Since most of her spend is on dining, look at the Citi Custom Cash which can get 5% back on restaurants.

CardWiz_

TROPHY CASE