How It Works

PointsCompare takes the guesswork out of choosing the right credit card for your spending habits. Our calculator analyzes your spending patterns across different categories and compares the rewards you would earn with various credit cards. By inputting your monthly spending in categories like groceries, dining, travel, and more, we can show you which card will give you the most value back.

Here's how our process works step by step:

1. Enter your spending: Tell us how much you spend monthly across different categories like groceries, gas, dining, and more.
2. We calculate rewards: Our algorithm applies each card's reward structure to your spending profile.
3. Compare results: See a side-by-side comparison of how much you'd earn in rewards with different cards.
4. Make an informed choice: Choose the card that maximizes your rewards based on your actual spending habits.

We completely understand your privacy concerns. That's why:

• All calculations happen in your browser - your data never leaves your device
• We don't store any of your spending information
• No account creation or personal information is required
• You can use our pre-set spending profiles if you prefer not to enter your own data

Your privacy is our priority, and we've designed our tool to respect that completely.

No, and it trips up almost everyone. A points card does two separate things, and they get quoted as if they were one.

1. It earns. 2X means two points for every dollar you spend. That part is fixed.
2. You redeem. What those points turn into depends on how you cash them out, and that varies enormously from card to card.

So two cards can both advertise 2X and pay out completely differently. Hilton points are worth around half a cent each, which turns 5X at restaurants into about 2.5% back. World of Hyatt points run closer to 1.7 cents, so 1X there beats 1% back. Same-looking numbers, different money.

That is why our card pages list the earn rate and the redemption value as two separate figures instead of multiplying them together for you. Multiplying is exactly where the confusion starts, and it hides which half of the number you are actually being offered.

Our calculator does the multiplication internally, because ranking cards against each other needs a single figure. It ranks on what points are worth as cash, never on the best-case redemption, since cash is the value you are guaranteed rather than the one you might get.

You're absolutely right! That's exactly why we built PointsCompare. Our database includes a wide range of popular credit cards with their current reward structures. Instead of manually comparing hundreds of cards (which would be nearly impossible), our calculator does the heavy lifting for you.

We regularly update our card database to ensure you're getting the most accurate comparisons possible. And as we grow, we'll continue adding more cards to provide even more comprehensive results.