Overview

It can be daunting to find, compare, and then apply for the best reward credit cards. Credit card companies offer dozens of competing cards and their reward structures for cashback, frequent flier miles, and points are a complex mix of tiers, limits, categories, and earning percentages.

The Credit Card Tune-Up calculator makes all of that easy. Just plug in how much you spend each month in the box on the right, press the Tune-Up button, and you'll be presented with a list of recommended cards sorted from best to worst by your expected first-year annual reward (minus any annual card fee). All reward types (i.e. miles, points, cashback) are converted into dollars for an easy apples-to-apples comparison.

If having more than one credit card and using each card for its strengths will earn you a greater annual reward, then those best combinations are shown in the columns labeled "Best N-Card Combo". As long as using another card will earn you even more rewards, the calculator will keep looking for you all the way up to "Best 3-Card Combo".

Usage Tips

• Only the "Total you spend per month" field is required, but entering your spend by category can make a difference of hundreds and sometimes even thousands of dollars. Since there is no "Other" category, don't worry about having your category spends add up to your total spend; the calculator figures out your "Other" spending for you.
• To apply for credit cards or read the terms and conditions, just click on the card name link provided. Applying for credit cards through our links help support this web site at no cost to you.
• For a detailed explanation of any credit card, category, or reward amount, just position your pointer over that item.
• To exclude a credit card from the "Best N-Card Combo" results (those with amounts highlighted in green), check its checkbox in the "Omit Card?" column and press the Tune-Up button to re-calculate.

Earn Extra Cash Back through BigCrumbs and Ebates

In addition to the rewards you earn from funneling your spending through your credit cards, you can often earn additional cash back from your online shopping just by visiting sites through shopping portals like BigCrumbs and Ebates.

You can earn extra cash back shopping at many popular sites like Amazon.com (4% cash back, only at Ebates), Groupon (7.5% cash back at BigCrumbs), Target (4.7% cash back), Urban Outfitters (4.7%), ShoeBuy.com (18.8%), Buy.com (6.6%), Best Buy (5.6%), OfficeMax (5.6%), and Old Navy (7% at Ebates) just to name a few.

You can check out all the stores where you'll earn more cash back by visiting the shopping portals at BigCrumbs and Ebates.

A "No Brainer" Suggestion

If you don't yet have a free Upromise college savings account, then you should consider setting up a Upromise account and registering your credit cards. Upromise will automatically scan the transactions of any cards you register and make deposits into your Upromise account for transactions with participating vendors. (Note that this is different from shopping through the Upromise web portal. It's automatic and applies to all your purchases, not just online purchases.) Even if you don't have college-bound kids, you can still accumulate automatic rewards and then request a check.

Not looking for a rewards card?

In addition to using the Credit Card Tune-Up calculator to find the best rewards card for you, you can also browse all types of cards here. You can browse to find the best balance transfer deals, 0% APR (annual percentage rate) deals, low APR cards, instant approval cards, and cards for fair credit, bad credit, and no credit.