CardRight is a great new app for managing credit card accounts, benefits, costs, and other data points and it’s absolutely free.
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Too Many Credit Cards
We don’t talk often about credit cards, but like many of our readers – I have too many. That is, too many to truly manage well. Just this week I was reminded of one I opened years ago as the bank let me know if I didn’t have some account activity in the next 30 days the card would be closed. I’m not proud to say that I have 10 from Chase alone. I need to trim my collection but until I do, I need to manage them better.
A friend referred me to CardRightCardRight and I took a look at the app, it seems to be built just for me (and our readership.) Unlike Award Wallet which will keep track of account balances and some benefits, or Credit Karma which will help you view your credit history (where I usually find forgotten cards) and give an inexact credit scoring metric, CardRight is trying to help users get more from their card benefits.
The team built the app for themselves and their problem (the developer has 41 cards in his name and about the same for his wife) and it was too tough to manage.
So Many Details To Manage
This is a bit of a self-own, I have four American Express Platinum Credit Cards at the moment (I will be closing one.) They serve different purposes (a personal, two small businesses, one for my wife) but many of the benefits can’t be duplicated. I can’t be more than Hilton Gold just because I have more cards, and without spending $75,000 I still can’t get guests into the Centurion lounge without paying. But every six months, my wife and I are perched over our laptops making furious purchases to use up the credits and make our high annual fees worthwhile.
My favorite part about the CardRight app is that it keeps track of these benefits for you. For example, I used to use the AMEX Platinum’s entertainment credit to stock our Audible accounts. Since that went away, I didn’t do the responsible thing and switched to another service we are paying for to utilize the benefit. I’ve since corrected this error. Now, I don’t need to go through the pages of benefits on the website, everything is there for me in one dashboard.
Key Features
To demonstrate the benefits of this credit card app, here are a few of my favorite features with screenshots.
Tracking Sign-Up Bonuse Deadlines
I have abused my Google Calendar over the years to track my spending targets setting an alarm for when the signup bonus spending should be met. However, this takes the guesswork out of it by tracking the remaining days left in real-time. It also has a button to press if you’ve completed the required spending. Pages even include a one-button call for the credit card’s customer service phone number.
New Card Eligibility
Banks have different restrictions for signup bonus eligibility, including Chase’s famous 5/24 (applicants can’t have opened more than five consumer credit cards in the last 24 months.) Because the app is tracking your cards, signup dates, and eligibility, it also states which cards you’re eligible for right now and the associated features. It also shows cards from which you’ll be excluded and the reason why.
Expiring Credits
I mentioned missing out on some of those AMEX Platinum credits before (which reminds me that I need to use my Uber credit.) This showcases the ones you might not pay as much attention to and when each of the credits expires.
Best Offers/Recommendations
If you’re like us and have a couple of dozen cards sometimes it’s hard to spot what’s missing in your repertoire. This feature highlights recommended cards and best offers as well as what is included.
Credit Explanations
Some of the credits banks offer can be valuable but difficult to use. Sticking with the myriad benefits from the AMEX Platinum that hold value but are difficult to use, CardRight explains all of the loopholes to jump through. In the example below, it outlines that the credit doesn’t need to be registered in order to use it, what’s required to activate it, it’s value, and limitations.
Easy Benefits Explanation
The app stores benefits for the cards in an easy to read format making cards quick to compare.
Comparison of Similar Benefits
The Chase Sapphire Reserve recently dropped access to restaurants from its included Priority Pass benefit. For years, AMEX, which also offered the Priority Pass membership excluded restaurants. This feature tells you the differences. In the example below, various Collision Damage Waivers (CDW) are compared.
My Favorite Feature: Upgrade/Downgrade Options
For cards that hold little residual value after the signup, it’s important to know what the upgrade and downgrade options are. Some cards, like the Southwest credit cards, can’t be downgraded, it’s either cancel or keep. Other cards like the AMEX Platinum may cost you if downgrade after you’ve already spent your airline credit, and of course, there are upgrade options and incentives too. This takes a complicated issue for power users and makes it really simple and easy to use.
How CardRight Makes Money
CardRight, like others I have mentioned and other travel blogs, make money from selling credit cards. Here at Live And Let’s Fly, we have them available, use many cards ourselves, and always appreciate your support, but it’s a rounding error of income for us every year. Perhaps we should fix that. Whenever a service like this comes around I am looking for how they make money because if the mobile app is good, they spent money on development, and at some point, I will be paying for it. So I asked, and they were rather candid. It’s not their primary income source, but signing up for a card will earn them a commission, and like us, they are grateful if users consider them.
But you don’t have to. The team is also quite happy contributing to the “hobby” that has enabled so many of us to travel cheaper or better than our station affords.
Conclusion
This app is not for everyone but if you have many cards with lots of benefits it can be a lot to manage. CardRight helps me avoid mistakes and see options clearly and I highly recommend giving it a try.
What do you think?
@Kyle … I’ve never Needed a mobile phone for anything . It is merely an expensive toy by which the teenage girls gossip .
Television is another expensive toy , as if I would gain anything by watching Oprah , or the entertainment awards ?
I’ve also never needed a watch for anything ; (except the Army ordered me to wear an Army one during my time in service , although I never discerned why).
Now , a glass or champagne , or a bottle of beer , Those I have needed .
rofl what is the point of this random fake virtue signaling
WTF? Why are you reading and posting on this site? Biggest problem in America is the number of people who have nothing to do…..
Calm down, homie
Lady call. She ask for Card Right. I say he not here. She say curse word. I hang up.
Checked it out myself and like what I see so far. Thanks!