Originally published at: 美卡攻略

Recently, Doc recommended another app/extension called CardPointers. After trying it, I think it is pretty good and can complement MaxRewards and the 101 extension. In addition, CardPointers can set up an Apple Wallet Pass, automatically choose the credit card with the highest rewards for purchases, sync credit card offers without logging into online banking, and more.

About CardPointers

Founded in 2019, the founder is a race car driver who loves credit cards and travel. The goal is to become an efficient, intelligent credit card management company.

CardPointers currently offers a free app, a paid Pro subscription (annual fee $49.99 on the official site, or $35 through the blog link; lifetime purchase $100), and a free web extension. Its free app and web extension are already quite useful. The paid features provide Apple users with automatic offer sync and activation services (based on Safari extensions, similar to MaxRewards) and smart card selection for spending. CardPointers is also very user-friendly and does not restrict use outside the United States; it can be used normally from mainland China as well.

The free version, together with its Chrome extension, is enough for most people. The paid version offers more features and is suitable for people with very high spending. Below, we’ll go through them one by one.

Sign-up and trial

Readers of 美卡攻略 get a 30% off Pro purchase discount, so the annual fee is only $35 and the lifetime plan is only $100. You can try it free for 7 days and decide whether to buy the membership after testing it. You can also start with the free version and subscribe to Pro later if you like it.

App usage

CardPointers can be downloaded directly from the App Store:

If you don’t subscribe to Pro, the app only offers tracking and reminder features, but it is still powerful and can easily beat any free credit card management app on the market. It also complements the free version of MaxRewards.

  • The app homepage is divided into five sections: For You, Pointers, Offers, Cards, and Search.

Adding cards does not require logging in to your AMEX account. You can add them manually or use the Chrome extension to auto-add after logging into the website (currently supports Chase and AMEX). Just tap the cards you have.

For You is the home page, where you can view all information.

Pointers records the spending characteristics of the cards you hold, making them easy to review. It supports custom category selection (Edit in the upper-right corner), including the categories and merchants of most co-branded cards.

Offers tracks a card’s coupon book. You can make notes on whether a credit has been used, and the app can also remind you about unused credits—very handy if you’re the lazy type.

The Cards page shows all your cards, their rewards features, and lets you add new credit cards.

The Search page is the search function:

Another interesting feature is that CardPointers surfaces other users’ targeted offers for you to see. You can view them both in the app and on the web, and you can often find jackpot-level offers. The web entry point is:

https://cardpointers.com/offers/

For example, here are a few recent lucky-user offers (extra multipliers on spending):

The app also supports location reminders. When you arrive at a place, it will remind you which card is best to use. The free version only supports setting one location.

Other features include monthly new-card bonus recommendations, annual fee reminders, and more.

Chrome extension

CardPointers offers a free Chrome extension. Download link:

The extension provides manual activation for AMEX and Chase offers, supports search and selective adding, and removes the limitation that an AMEX offer can only be added once (as long as the offer is visible on your account’s card offers page—you can’t create one out of thin air).

After installing the extension, you just need to log in to your AMEX or Chase account to use it (click reload account).

For example, with my AMEX account logged in here, clicking the extension lets me see the Amexoffer situation. The free version requires manually adding and activating offers, but it is absolutely good enough. If you need to add an offer to multiple cards, the prerequisites are:

  • The card’s offer page can see this offer; it cannot be created out of thin air
  • All credit cards must be on one web page
  • You cannot activate any offer in advance; activation must be completed one time through CardPointers

If you think that sounds like a hassle, you may want to consider the paid Pro subscription. It’s only $35 per year ($100 lifetime), and it pays for itself after using a few AMEX offers.

Note that Pro’s automatic offer sync does not require the Chrome extension, nor does it require logging into online banking (MaxRewards does require online banking login), but it does require Apple devices. The author says Pro users can directly sync all offers through the Safari extension feature. I haven’t tried it myself yet, so feel free to test it first.

Pro subscription and features

The Pro version can be tried first. There is no charge during the trial, and you can cancel at any time. Channel:

I personally recommend trying the web version; a few extra days of trial is a bonus. The app version is visible in the app itself and on the download page. Web URL:

https://cardpointers.com/pro/

The Pro version is very powerful. The differences are shown below; the paid version is on the right.

A few features I find interesting:

  • Safari Extension (no login required to sync all offers across Apple devices, auto-activate them, and tell you which card earns the highest rewards when you shop)
  • Location reminders support multiple locations (mentioned above)
  • Supports all kinds of reminders, including 5/24 status, new offers, and credit card changes (official updates)
  • You can customize an Apple Wallet pass to remind yourself which cards earn a bit more back (seems not very useful)

After customization, you can see this in Apple Pass. For people who know their card features by heart, this is unnecessary.

If you think the Pro subscription is useful, it also supports a Lifetime purchase for a one-time $100 payment. Try our referral link for 30% off lifetime membership. Note: do not purchase through the app, because you won't get the discount.

Other similar products

We previously introduced the MaxRewards credit card management app, which can automatically add bank spending offers (Chase/Amex/BofA offers), and even break the limit that an AMEX offer can only be added once per person (one card).

However, MaxRewards has been a bit unstable lately, so we recommend using the US Card Strategy web extension.

Summary

I think this app is best used as a tracking app, and its standout feature is still removing the AMEX Offer add limit. You can use the free version + Chrome extension together with the 101 extension and MaxRewards. If you don't like manual activation, remember to try it first and make sure you understand the features before buying. You can also start with the free version and consider subscribing to Pro only if you like it. Main drawbacks:

  • Its points valuation references TPG, which is way too optimistic
  • It doesn't log in to online banking, so it imports less information than MaxRewards, but it's also relatively safer

Main advantages:

  • Supports a one-time lifetime purchase at a low cost
  • The Safari extension is quite novel; no online banking login is required, so it's more secure
  • The app's note-taking features are powerful, and even the free version is quite good

This app is from a startup, and many U.S. bloggers use it too. You can try it first and decide whether to subscribe to Pro if it works well for you.

Sign up and trial

CardPointers gives U.S. Card Strategy readers a 30% off Pro purchase discount, so the annual fee is only $35, and the lifetime plan is only $100. You can try it for 7 days and decide whether to buy the membership after that.