Everything you need to know about CardMax.
CardMax is a free card comparison tool that helps you compare the listed rates of your cards across spending categories. It lists the posted rates of your cards side by side so you can see the rate associated with each card.
CardMax compares the listed rates of all the cards in your wallet for a given spending category (like dining, gas, or groceries). It then sorts your cards by posted rate — whether that's cash back or points — so you can see them side by side.
CardMax is free to download and use. There are no subscriptions, hidden fees, or in-app purchases.
No. CardMax is an informational comparison tool and does not provide financial, legal, or tax advice. All card comparisons are based solely on publicly listed card rates and the cards you enter. Always verify current rates and terms directly with your card issuer before making purchase decisions.
No. CardMax is not affiliated with or endorsed by Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Citi, Chase, or any issuing bank. Logos and trademarks remain the property of their respective owners. Card names and reward information are used for informational purposes only under nominative fair use.
Absolutely not. CardMax only needs to know which cards you carry — not your card numbers, expiration dates, or any sensitive details. You simply select your cards from our database or add a custom card with its spending categories.
CardMax includes a pre-built database of 118 popular U.S. cards from major banks including Chase, American Express, Capital One, Citi, Discover, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and U.S. Bank. If your card isn't listed, you can add it as a custom card with your own spending categories.
Card rates are based on publicly listed issuer information and simplified into spending categories for comparison. However, card issuers may change their rate structures at any time. Some rates may apply only through specific booking portals, at select merchants, or with particular payment methods. Please verify current rates directly with your card issuer. CardMax is an informational comparison tool and does not provide financial, legal, or tax advice.
CardMax focuses on standard, location-based listed rates that can be recommended when you are at a merchant 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 • 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.
Some cards offer elevated rewards on a specific category that changes periodically. Quarterly rotating cards (like Discover it Cash Back and Chase Freedom Flex) change their bonus category each quarter (Jan 1, Apr 1, Jul 1, Oct 1). Billing-cycle cards (like Citi Custom Cash) automatically apply bonus rewards on your top eligible spend category each billing cycle. CardMax lets you select which bonus category is currently active for these cards so your selection stays current. You can update your selection anytime from the card's detail screen. Rotating bonus categories and activation requirements are determined by your card issuer. CardMax uses the category you select to display comparisons only. Always confirm the currently active category and activation status directly with your card issuer.
If you have a billing-cycle card (like Citi Custom Cash), open the card's detail screen and select the billing cycle start date. Select the day of the month your billing cycle begins. CardMax uses this date to send you a reminder each month to review your active top spend category. The date is stored locally on your device and is never shared. Billing cycle calculations and top spend category determinations are controlled by your card issuer. CardMax uses the date you enter only to schedule reminder notifications. Always confirm your current billing cycle and spending category details directly with your card issuer.
Yes. Use the "Add Card" feature to create a custom card. You can set the card name, bank, card type (Cash Back or Points), and define rates for each spending category.
When you enable location access, CardMax uses your location to check for nearby spending categories (such as dining, gas, or groceries) and display your cards sorted by their listed rate for comparison. CardMax uses two zones: a wider zone shows a banner when the app is open (parking lot or nearby), and a tighter zone is used for push notifications (only when you are very close to or inside a store). You can also pull down the screen at any time to manually check for nearby spending categories. Before any location data leaves your device, your coordinates are rounded to approximately 11-meter precision. This rounded position is transmitted temporarily to our server to check for nearby spending categories and is not stored or associated with your identity.
Yes. Location is completely optional. You can manually select any spending category from the home screen to compare your cards by category. When location is enabled, CardMax checks for nearby spending categories so you can see your cards sorted by listed rate without selecting a category manually.
With location enabled, simply pull down (swipe down) on the home screen to check for nearby spending categories. CardMax uses OpenStreetMap data to check for nearby merchant categories. If a match is found, a banner will appear showing your Top Card. If no match is found, no banner will appear — just select any category to compare cards manually.
If you have location and notifications enabled, CardMax may send a one-time smart alert when you are near a store. The notification shows the store name, your Top Card from your saved cards, and the spending category. If a venue inside the store offers a better rate with a different card, additional lines are included for the inner venue name, the card to use, and the spending category. If no specific store is identified but you are in a commercial area, a general "Nearby Store" notification may appear. Selecting it opens the Recommend screen so you can choose a category manually. You will only receive one notification per store visit. Notifications are paused while you are moving quickly, such as while driving. This is for informational purposes only — not a guarantee of rewards, savings, or transaction outcomes.
When location and notifications are enabled, CardMax checks whether you are near a store and sends a smart alert based on your saved cards and card type preference (Cash Back or Points). Each notification has three parts: the store name, your Top Card from your saved cards, and the spending category. If a venue inside the store offers better earning with a different card, additional lines are added. CardMax only sends one notification per store visit and pauses notifications when you are moving quickly, such as while driving. You can control notifications anytime in Settings: • Location Alerts — store alerts while the app is open • Smart Notifications — enables alert delivery • Smart Alerts — location-based alerts while CardMax runs in the background (requires Always location permission). Alerts pause if you fully close CardMax.
No. Turning off Smart Alerts stops all background location activity immediately — no GPS wakeups, no background checks, and the location indicator no longer appears in your status bar. Your battery usage returns to zero for this feature. However, your iOS location permission ("Always") stays as it is in iOS Settings. iOS does not allow any app to remove or downgrade your location permission on your behalf — that is intentionally controlled by you. If you want to fully remove the permission from iOS Settings: go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → CardMax → select "While Using" or "Never".
CardMax uses your device's motion sensor for two purposes. First, it tells whether you are walking or driving. This helps avoid sending store notifications while you are moving quickly. Second, it checks whether you are stationary — for example, at home or overnight. When the app senses you are not moving and you are in a non-commercial area, it skips waking the GPS hardware entirely. This is the largest single source of battery savings. Motion data is used only to support app functionality, processed entirely on-device, and is not retained or shared.
CardMax Offers will display merchant promotions alongside your card's listed rate so you can see both side by side before deciding which card to use. Merchant partner offers are coming soon. Current offers shown in the app are illustrative examples demonstrating how the feature will work.
Yes. When location is enabled and a nearby spending category is available, the Offers tab automatically filters to show offers matching that category (for example, dining offers when you are near a restaurant). This result expires after 30 minutes and is stored only on your device. Your state is also auto-selected so you see local and state-level offers right away.
When live, CardMax will display merchant promotions alongside card rates so you can see both side by side — for example, "5% off · 5% cash back" — before deciding which card to use. Merchant partner offers are coming soon. Once live, always confirm current promotions directly with the merchant and verify card rates with your card issuer.
During onboarding, CardMax asks you to choose your card type. This preference filters your Top Card and Smart Alerts so you see only the card type relevant to you, and it also determines which card type appears in Smart Notifications when you are near a store. You can change it at any time using the Cash Back / Points toggle on the Recommend screen.
On the Recommend screen, long-press any category tile to enter edit mode. You can then select tiles in the order you prefer and confirm to save. On the Offers screen, the same long-press approach lets you reorder the offer tabs. Your custom order is saved locally.
Yes. Go to Settings and look for the Appearance section. You can choose Light, Dark, or System (which follows your device's display setting).
CardMax is designed for minimal battery impact. After a few consecutive non-commercial results, the app enters slow mode — reducing how often it checks your location. In slow mode, it first checks whether you are stationary using your device's motion sensor (no GPS). If you are not moving, the GPS hardware is skipped entirely. When you are moving at highway speeds, the app reads a cached speed value and skips checking until you slow down. Notifications are also paused above a lower speed threshold. In the background, CardMax skips location checks entirely if you have not moved from an area already confirmed as non-commercial. Actual usage will vary depending on your device and movement patterns.
Yes, to check for nearby spending categories. Your saved cards and preferences remain stored locally on your device and are always available offline.
No. Your saved cards, preferences, and usage data are stored locally on your device. We do not collect or store personal information, card numbers, or account details. When location is enabled, your coordinates are transmitted temporarily to our server to check for nearby spending categories and are not stored or associated with your identity.
No. Your location is used only to check for nearby spending categories using OpenStreetMap data. CardMax has no advertising networks, analytics platforms, or tracking SDKs.
Go to Settings and scroll down to the Data section. Select "Reset All Data" to clear your saved cards, usage history, and preferences. This cannot be undone. Since all data is stored on your device, there is no cloud backup to restore from.
CardMax's card database is focused on U.S. cards. The location-based store checking works globally using OpenStreetMap data, but the card sorting is designed for U.S. card rate structures. You can still add foreign cards manually using the custom card feature.
For questions, feedback, or support requests, please email us at support@cardmaxapp.com. We typically respond within 24–48 hours.