"You're not going to find the right card by reading listicles. You're going to find it by running the math on your actual spending. That's what I built this for."

Find Your Card. Run the Numbers.

Four questions. Claire's math. The card that actually pays for itself in your situation.

1. Credit Profile
2. Primary Goal
3. Spending
4. Preferences
What's your estimated credit score?
This filters out cards you won't qualify for. Honest inputs = better recommendations.
Excellent 750+ — all cards available
Good 700–749 — most premium cards
Fair 650–699 — mid-tier rewards
Building Under 650 — starting out
What matters most to you?
Pick the one that best describes your situation right now.
Maximum cash back Simple money back on purchases
Travel rewards Points for flights and hotels
Dining and food Restaurants and groceries
No annual fee I want rewards without commitment
Building credit Establishing or rebuilding history
Balance transfer 0% intro APR to pay down debt
Where do you spend the most?
Monthly estimates. This is what calculates your actual annual value per card.
Monthly dining out$200
Monthly groceries$400
Monthly travel / gas$150
Monthly other spending$500
A few more things.
These change the recommendation significantly.

Claire's Top Picks For You

Based on your actual spending. Annual values calculated to the dollar.

By the way — Marcus is still using a debit card.

Use this calculator any time you want to show someone the annual cost of the wrong card choice.

What's Costing You Calculator →

"Marcus, Run the Numbers."

Enter what you're currently using and what you spend. See the annual gap in real dollars.

Total left on the table
$0
$0
You earned / month
$0
You could earn / month
$0
Annual gap
$0
Lifetime gap (3 yrs)
Find the right card now
AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: Claire gets a small commission if you apply through her links. The math still works out — she only recommends cards where the annual value exceeds the fee at your spending level. Verify all current offers, rates, and bonuses directly with the card issuer before applying — card terms change frequently.
NOT FINANCIAL ADVICE. This is a comparison tool based on publicly available information. cardsmadesimple.com · Credit Building Guide