Start with purchases you already make
A card with a larger advertised bonus rate can still return less on your actual budget. To compare credit cards, list a typical month of dining, groceries, travel and other purchases. Enter each purchase once. In MyCardTailor, wholesale-club purchases have dedicated fields rather than being counted again as supermarket spending.
A worked rewards example
Hypothetical monthly spending: $800 dining, $400 groceries and $800 other purchases, or $24,000 per year.
Card A: an assumed 3% on dining and groceries, and 1% on other purchases. Annual rewards are $14,400 × 3% + $9,600 × 1% = $528.
Card B: an assumed flat 2% on all purchases. Annual rewards are $24,000 × 2% = $480.
With no fees, bonuses, credits or caps in this simplified example, Card A is ahead by $48 per year. A fee or a different spending mix could change that result.
Compare net value, not just earning rates
Check annual fees, category caps, merchant eligibility and card acceptance. Include credits only at the savings you expect to use. A $48 rewards advantage would not offset a $95 annual fee by itself. MyCardTailor displays category contributions so you can inspect what produced a total.
Separate the first year from later years
A welcome bonus can change the first-year winner. Compare Year 1 with Ongoing year, and enable a bonus only if you expect to qualify. The calculator checks modeled spending thresholds without inventing extra purchases.
These comparisons assume you pay in full and exclude interest and unentered costs. The CFPB explains that, when a card offers a purchase grace period and you are not carrying a balance, paying the balance in full by the due date can avoid purchase interest. See its credit card grace-period explanation. Rewards estimates do not assess affordability or approval.
Try it with your own spending
Use the credit card rewards calculator to compare the included cards. Choose Dollar value only to order cash-back and travel cards together by estimated net dollars. Each of the top three cards is an alternative, not a combined wallet.
Read the calculation methodology for valuations, caps, acceptance restrictions and bonus rules, or explore the other rewards guides.
Page updated October 13, 2026