CardMax helps identify your Top Card for spending categories and nearby stores, privately, locally, and without sharing card information.
Add your cards once. CardMax identifies your Top Card across spending categories using eligible listed rates.
Enable Smart Alerts to get a notification with your Top Card when a nearby store is identified with high confidence. Notifications appear when conditions such as distance and motion allow. Opt-in, and easy to turn off anytime.
Browse your cards anytime, sorted by listed rate for any spending category — dining, groceries, gas, travel, and more. Personalized to the cards you carry.
All card data is stored locally on your phone. CardMax never sees your card numbers, balances, or account information. Card information stays on your device.
A curated database of 100+ popular US cards with their reward categories — including rotating category cards. Add custom cards at any time.
Location is always optional. Browse the full category grid and see your listed rates for any spending category anytime, with or without GPS enabled.
Discover Partner Offers from participating businesses alongside your Top Card and spending categories. Filter by category, discount type, and more. Offer availability varies by location and participating businesses. Offers are informational only and do not process payments, purchases, or redemptions.
No login. No bank connection. No card numbers required. Get started in three simple steps.
Select from 100+ pre-built US cards or enter a custom card with your own reward categories. No card numbers ever needed.
Optionally allow background location to receive Smart Alerts. CardMax may send a notification with your Top Card when a nearby store or commercial area is found. Notifications appear when conditions such as distance and motion allow. Turn Smart Alerts on or off in Settings at any time.
CardMax checks for nearby stores or commercial areas in the background. When it finds one with high confidence, it may send a notification with your Top Card based on the spending category and the card information stored on your device. If no specific store is identified but a commercial area is found, a general notification may appear that opens the Recommend screen so you can choose a category.
Tap any spending category to see your cards sorted by listed rate. Reorder categories to match your spending habits.
CardMax was designed around a simple principle: your data belongs to you. Location coordinates are rounded on-device before transmission — not stored, not linked to any identifier, and never used to build a profile.
This website does not use analytics, cookies, or tracking technologies.
CardMax helps local businesses connect with nearby customers. Businesses interested in Partner Offers can contact us to learn more about participation opportunities. No ads. No tracking. Offers are designed to be simple, local, and privacy-conscious.
Interested in partnering with CardMax?
Email partners@cardmaxapp.com
Yes. CardMax is completely free with no subscriptions, in-app purchases, or hidden fees.
Never. CardMax only needs to know which cards you own and their reward categories — no account numbers, CVVs, or financial data of any kind.
CardMax uses your device's GPS and OpenStreetMap data to check for nearby spending categories. Your coordinates are rounded on-device before any request is made, and the server only uses them to find spending categories — it never stores them.
CardMax includes a pre-built database of 100+ popular US cards across major banks, including cards with rotating quarterly bonus categories. You can also add custom cards with your own reward categories.
The card database is US-focused. Store checking is powered by OpenStreetMap and may work in other countries, but results and category matching vary outside the US. The card sorting is designed for US card rate structures.
Yes. Location is always optional. You can browse card rates by spending category at any time without enabling GPS. Smart Alerts require location permission to work.
Smart Alerts send you a push notification when CardMax finds a store nearby with high confidence. The notification shows the store name, your Top Card, and its listed rate for that category. You can enable or disable Smart Alerts at any time from Settings.
CardMax focuses on standard, location-based listed rates that can be recommended when you are at a store or spending category.
Rates that require a specific issuer portal, activation, enrollment, rotating promotions, merchant-specific offers, limited-time bonuses, or other special conditions may not be included in recommendations, alerts, or rankings.
Examples include: Chase Travel℠ portal, Capital One Travel portal, Citi Travel portal, American Express Travel, quarterly rotating bonus categories, merchant-specific promotional offers, and limited-time or targeted card offers.
CardMax does not track, verify, or manage issuer portals, rotating bonus activations, enrollments, or promotional campaigns. Please refer to your card issuer for the most current card terms, listed rates, and eligibility requirements.
CardMax Offers displays promotions from participating businesses alongside your Top Card and spending categories so you can view both in one place before making a purchase decision. Offer availability varies by location and participating businesses. CardMax does not process payments, purchases, or redemptions.
Offer availability depends on participating businesses and your selected location. Some locations may not have active offers yet. Check back periodically as new businesses join CardMax.