Frequently Asked Questions

Pointalize is your rewards wallet. It helps you manage the credit cards you carry, track benefit usage and signup bonus deadlines, browse point valuations (CPP), and compare cards — all without sharing your bank login.

The app is organized around three tabs: Cards (your wallet dashboard), Benefits (credits, perks, and bonus progress), and Insights (wallet stats, Chase 5/24, annual-fee outlook, and CPP benchmarks). Optional push alerts help you stay ahead of deadlines and renewals.

Pointalize Pro unlocks advanced tools for serious rewards optimizers. The core wallet — adding cards, tracking benefits, browsing the catalog, and signup-bonus alerts — stays free.

• Smart Expiry Alerts: Push notifications before benefits and credits expire.
• Smart Retention Alerts: Reminders to check for retention offers before you cancel or downgrade a card.
• Full Card ROI: See dollar-value ROI across your entire wallet, not just your top two cards.

Pointalize Pro includes a risk-free 30-day free trial so you can experience full expiry alerts, retention reminders, and complete wallet ROI insights.

If you decide Pro isn't for you, you can cancel at any time with no questions asked:

• On iOS (iPhone/iPad): Open device Settings → Your Name → Subscriptions → Pointalize and tap Cancel Subscription.
• On Android: Open Google Play Store → Profile Icon → Payments & Subscriptions → Subscriptions and tap Cancel.

If you cancel during the trial, you will not be charged, and your core wallet remains completely free forever.

Yes. Good deals are meant to be shared.

Share your unique referral code from the Profile tab. You and your friend each get 1 month of Pointalize Pro free. There is no limit to how many friends you can invite.

Yes. If you sign in to your Pointalize account using your email, Apple ID, or Google account, your wallet, added cards, tracked benefits, and preferences sync seamlessly across all your iOS and Android devices.

If you prefer not to create an account, Pointalize also works completely locally as an anonymous guest on a single device.

Yes! Your credit cards, earning multipliers, benefit progress, and CPP valuation benchmarks are stored securely directly on your device.

You can quickly check which card is best to use at a checkout register, review perk details, or log purchases even in spots with no cell service (such as underground parking, basements, flights, or when traveling abroad without roaming data). When your internet connection returns, your synced preferences update automatically.

Subscribe to the Pointalize newsletter from Profile → Notification Settings to get strategies, program updates, and wallet tips by email.

You can also browse articles and guides on pointalize.com.

Pointalize calculates the highest net return for your specific spending scenario in real time.

When you select a purchase category (such as Dining, Groceries, Flights, Hotels, Gas, EV Charging, or Online Retail), the app compares:

• Base & Category Multipliers: E.g., 4x on Dining vs. 3x on Travel vs. 2% flat cash back.
• Point Valuations (CPP): Factoring in realistic redemption values (e.g., 3x transferable points at 1.7¢/pt = 5.1% return vs. 4% cash back).
• Quarterly Bonus Caps: Warning you if a quarterly category cap (such as $1,500/quarter on rotating 5% cards) is approaching or has been reached.
• Signup Bonus Spend Goals: Prioritizing cards where you still need to hit a minimum spend deadline to unlock a massive welcome bonus.

Cards like the Chase Freedom Flex or Discover it offer 5% cash back or 5x points on rotating categories every three months (up to $1,500 in quarterly purchases).

You don't need to manually update these calendars in Pointalize. Our central card catalog automatically refreshes every quarter (in January, April, July, and October). When a new quarter begins, your cards automatically reflect the latest bonus merchant categories and active spend caps.

Yes. When traveling internationally or purchasing from foreign merchants online, many cards assess a 2.5% to 3% Foreign Transaction Fee (FTF), which can easily wipe out the value of any points earned.

Pointalize clearly highlights cards with 0% Foreign Transaction Fees (No FTF) in your wallet and browse views, ensuring you avoid hidden banking surcharges while abroad.

Whether you have 2 cards or 20, you can track your entire wallet in one place — at no cost.

We support 1000+ hand-picked cards. Add your cards in the Cards tab to see rewards, spending categories, earning rates, and benefit progress across your wallet.

New catalog browsing focuses on the United States, Canada, Germany, the UK, UAE, Australia, and Singapore.

Cards you already saved in a wallet stay available for that account even if browse coverage later differs.

Adding cards is manual and secure — no bank logins or passwords required.

Go to the Cards tab, tap Add Card, and search by card name or issuer (or describe the cards you carry). Once added, we pull in reward multipliers, annual fees, and benefits for that card. Your sensitive financial data stays under your control.

Our catalog covers over 1,000 top credit cards across all major banks, but banks launch new cards and rebrand products frequently.

If your specific card isn't listed yet, you can tap Request a Card in the browse section or email us at support@pointalize.com with the card name and issuing bank. Our research team verifies card benefits and multiplier structures and typically adds them within 24 to 48 hours.

Where the app offers on-device capture, it can read purchase-related system notifications you allow — still without a bank login.

Results depend on issuer notification text and OS permissions. Review matched activity before relying on it; capture is not guaranteed for every bank or message format. Import flows remain available so you can correct or add activity yourself.

Yes. From Browse Cards you can select cards and view them side-by-side.

We compare welcome offers, ongoing multipliers, annual fees, and perks so you can decide which card fits your spending and goals.

The Benefits tab tracks recurring bank credits, signup bonuses, and perk deadlines before they expire or reset.

Mark progress on each benefit so you can see what you have used, what is left, and what is coming up. Pair that with optional push alerts for bonus deadlines, expiring credits, retention reminders, and annual-fee renewals.

Credit card perks follow different expiration cycles depending on the issuing bank and terms:

• Calendar Year: Resets on January 1st regardless of when you opened the card (e.g. Amex Airline Fee credits, elite night credits).
• Cardmember Anniversary Year: Resets every 12 months on your card opening anniversary (e.g. Chase Sapphire Reserve $300 travel credit).
• Monthly & Semi-Annual Credits: Resets on the 1st of every month or half-year (e.g. monthly Uber Cash, dining credits, streaming credits, Saks credits).

Pointalize automatically calculates these windows based on your card open date and tracks remaining balances so you never leave money on the table.

Before an annual fee posts, every cardholder asks: Is this card still worth keeping?

In the Insights tab, Pointalize compares the annual fee you pay against the dollar value of the statement credits, merchant perks, and points you actually redeemed throughout the year.

With Pointalize Pro, you also receive smart retention reminders 30 to 45 days before your renewal fee posts, prompting you to call your card issuer to check for a retention offer (spending bonus or fee credit) before making a keep, downgrade, or cancel decision.

Streaks in Pointalize reward consistent, mindful card usage so you never let benefits or minimum spend deadlines slip through the cracks.

By logging daily purchases, verifying card benefits, or scanning receipts, you maintain an active streak. This habit helps you always check which card maximizes your rewards before you pay, helping active users unlock hundreds of extra dollars in points each year.

Cents per Point (CPP) is a simple way to estimate the dollar value of your rewards.

In Insights, browse CPP benchmarks for major hotel and airline programs. You can customize values on your device — overrides stay local and are not synced to your account. The app uses these benchmarks to estimate the real-world value of benefits you have redeemed.

Yes. The highest redemption values in credit card rewards come from transferable currencies — including Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Bilt Rewards — which can be transferred to airline and hotel partner programs at favorable 1:1 ratios.

In Insights → Point Valuations, you can inspect each major currency, view their direct airline and hotel transfer partners, and explore benchmark valuations to ensure you are transferring points for maximum value.

The Chase 5/24 rule is an unofficial approval policy by Chase: you will generally be denied for any Chase personal or business credit card if you have opened 5 or more personal credit cards across all banks in the past 24 months.

In the Insights tab, Pointalize automatically tracks your 5/24 status based on your cards' opening dates:

• Shows your exact count (e.g., 3/24 or 5/24).
• Displays the exact future date when your oldest card drops off the 24-month window, freeing up a new Chase slot.
• Helps you strategically time new card applications to maximize welcome bonuses without unnecessary rejections.

We maintain CPP benchmarks for major hotel and airline programs so you can compare value across your wallet.

Hotel programs: Choice Privileges, Hilton Honors, IHG One Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy, World of Hyatt, Wyndham Rewards.

Airline programs: ANA Mileage Club, Air Canada Aeroplan, Air France/KLM Flying Blue, Alaska Mileage Plan, American AAdvantage, Avianca LifeMiles, British Airways Executive Club, Delta SkyMiles, Emirates Skywards, Etihad Guest, Iberia Plus, JetBlue TrueBlue, Lufthansa Miles & More, Qantas Frequent Flyer, Qatar Privilege Club, Singapore KrisFlyer, Southwest Rapid Rewards, Turkish Miles&Smiles, United MileagePlus, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.

Benchmarks are updated over time as programs change.

Pointalize can send optional push notifications tuned to your wallet.

• Signup bonus deadlines — free for all users.
• Annual fee renewals — free for all users.
• Benefit expiry reminders — Pointalize Pro.
• Retention reminders — Pointalize Pro.

Turn alerts on or off per category in Profile → Notification Settings.

If you aren't receiving deadline or renewal alerts, check these quick device settings:

• System Notification Permissions: Open your device Settings → Pointalize → Notifications and verify Allow Notifications is enabled.
• In-App Alert Toggles: Navigate to Profile → Notification Settings in the app and make sure the alerts you want (Bonus Deadlines, Annual Fees, Expiry Reminders) are toggled ON.
• Focus & Battery Saver Modes: Ensure iOS Focus modes (Do Not Disturb) or Android aggressive battery optimization aren't suppressing background notifications for Pointalize.

No. Never.

Pointalize never asks for your bank logins, passwords, or account credentials. You add cards manually and track benefit progress yourself. Your sensitive financial data remains completely under your control.

For more details, see our Privacy Policy.

No. Never.

When you use the receipt scanner to log a purchase or benefit redemption, the image is analyzed locally on your device using on-device optical character recognition (OCR) to extract the merchant name, date, and amount.

Once the details are read into your form, the photo is immediately discarded. Pointalize does not save receipt images to your device photo gallery, and we never transmit or upload receipt images to any external server or cloud storage. Your physical receipts remain completely private.

Never. We do not sell your personal data, card choices, or spending habits to anyone.

Unlike traditional finance apps that profit by selling transaction data to third-party data brokers or running targeted advertising networks, Pointalize is supported purely by our optional Pointalize Pro subscription. We do not link to your bank accounts, and we do not run third-party advertising trackers.

We store only what you explicitly add and track.

That includes the cards in your wallet, benefit progress (e.g. credits used), notification preferences, and your account email if you sign in. Custom CPP overrides are saved on your device only. We do not store bank credentials, account numbers, or transaction history.

Privacy Policy · Terms of Use

You have full ownership and control of your data at all times:

• Delete Account: In the app, navigate to Profile → Account Settings → Delete Account. Confirming this permanently deletes your user account, stored wallet, and tracked benefits from our servers immediately.
• Guest Data: If you use Pointalize without an account, deleting the app from your device clears all local data permanently.

We support 1000+ hand-picked cards in multiple countries, with more added over time.

Current regions include US, Canada (CA), UAE (AE), Australia (AU), Germany (DE), Hong Kong (HK), India (IN), Singapore (SG), and we are growing. You can filter by region in the app to see cards available where you are.

We support cards from major issuers across our regions, including (among others):

Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB), Advanzia Bank, American Express (Amex), ANZ, Axis Bank, Bank of America (BofA), Barclays, Bilt Rewards, BMO, Capital One, Chase, CIBC, Citibank (Citi), Commonwealth Bank (CommBank), DBS, Deutsche Bank, Discover, DKB, easybank, Emirates Islamic, Emirates NBD, Goldman Sachs, Hang Seng, Hanseatic Bank, HDFC Bank, HSBC, ICICI Bank, ING, Mashreq, N26, NAB, National Bank of Canada, OCBC, PC Financial, RBC, Revolut, Rogers Bank, SBI Card, Scotiabank, SoFi, Standard Chartered, Synchrony Bank, Tangerine, TD Bank, UOB, U.S. Bank, Wells Fargo, Westpac.

Our selection is updated regularly so you have access to the most rewarding cards on the market.