I use several different personal finance apps. However, I recently realized that I don’t have any credit card apps. I’ve heard about them here and there. I hadn’t ever really researched them, though. I wasn’t sure if they could serve any purpose for me, but I decided to do some research.
Types of Credit Card Apps
As it turns out, there are lots of different types of credit card apps. There are apps for individual credit card companies; such as the Capital One app or the Discover Card app. There are apps to accept credit cards via your phone.
However, what we’ll be looking at here are apps that help people track the details of their credit cards. You can use apps to track your balances, due dates, rewards point, and all of the other little details on a credit card. I always track these on paper, so it’s been helpful to utilize credit card apps to simplify that process.
How Many Credit Cards Is Too Many?
Of course, many people would suggest that perhaps you shouldn’t have so many credit cards that you require apps to organize them. I’m not in that camp, though. I believe that there is no magic number of credit cards that you should or shouldn’t have.
If you’re the kind of person who will use up all of the credit that you have, then you should definitely limit your available credit. If you’re the kind of person who gets flustered keeping track of multiple accounts, then it’s best to limit your number of credit cards. However, if you’re able to responsibly use a large number of different cards, then I see no reason not to have a variety of them to choose from.
After all, some cards have better rates for balance transfers whereas others have the best rewards for travel. If you want to maximize the benefits of credit cards, and you’re able to do so without overspending, then a number of credit cards is fine. However, it’s obviously important to keep them all organized. That’s where these credit card apps come in.
Best Credit Card Management Apps
Ideally, you’ll find just one or two credit card apps to organize the details of all of your cards. After all, downloading dozens of apps just makes things more confusing. Here are some of the best credit card management apps to choose from.
1. CreditCards.com Wallet
This is one of the most detailed credit card apps available if you want to maximize your rewards. It uses mapping features and algorithms to tell you exacty which card is going to be your best bet to get the most rewards at any given place.
You simply search for the store you’re shopping at (whether it’s in person or online) to get an organized list of all of your credit cards sorted by best to worst in terms of rewards value for that store. For example, right now I get 5% back on restaurants on my Discover Card. Therefore, chances are that if I’m in a restaurant, the tool will tell me to use that card. But if another one were to be better, then I’d easily know that.
In addition to providing suggestions for the best reward points, the Wallet offers a variety of other tools including:
- Information to help you minimize interest fees
- Tips for improving your cash flow
- Tools to assist with budgeting and understanding where your money goes
Plus, this is one of the credit card apps that will show you card-by-card information. You can look at each card you have and see a breakdown of your spending. You receive notifications of suspicious activity to help prevent credit card fraud. Moreover, you’ll see missed rewards by transaction to help you maximize credit card rewards in the future.
2. Travel Freely
If you love to use credit cards that give you travel rewards including airline points and hotel stays, then you might want to use Travel Freely. This is one of the credit card apps that is very specific to the niche of travel.
Once you enter your credit cards into this app, it’ll tell you a variety of information including:
- Each card’s travel benefits, which is something that is easy to forget but so useful if you have a travel mishap
- The bonus categories that will help you maximize travel rewards and the deadlines when bonuses expire
- Upcoming annual fee charges, so you can cancel the card in advance if it’s no longer serving you
Moreover, this is one of the credit card apps that will use your current information to help you in the future. It will recommend the best travel rewards credit cards to apply for based on your personal spending. It will even tell you the best time to apply for new cards.
3. AwardWallet
If you’re looking for credit card apps that tell you about all rewards, not just travel rewards, then try AwardWallet. If you’re the kind of person who signs up for everything from store credit cards to multiple frequent flier programs, then this is the app for you. It’ll help you track not just your credit card rewards but other types of rewards programs as well.
It tracks your points. It also tracks bonuses like free nights at hotels that might not be calculated as points, per se. Moreover, it tracks when your points are going to expire. If you’ve ever wondered, “should I stay at this hotel or that one to best use my points?” then this app gives you the answer.
As a bonus, it also has flight tracking features to make travel easier.
4. Tally
If you’re having trouble managing payments across multiple credit cards then you can look for debt management credit card apps like Tally. They provide you with a line of credit. Then the utilize that line of credit to make the best payments to each credit card. This helps you minimize costs and fees. Of course, you should always read the fine print when accepting new lines of credit. You want to make sure that this tool works for you instead of against you.
5. Debt Manager
The other apps on this list are free, but this one costs 99 cents. It may be well worth the cost. It’s a debt management app that helps you easily see how to better pay off your credit cards. You can choose from different repayment strategies such as paying off the highest interest first or paying off the lowest balance first. The app will then tell you exactly how much to pay to each credit card to meet your goal without missing any payment minimums.
Moreover, you can select to pay monthly, weekly, or fortnightly. Furthermore, you can add extra payments that are entered one-time, annually, or monthly. This app tell you what date you will be debt free if you follow the plan. It will show you how much interest you save by making different choices. If you’re struggling to pay down debt, a plan like this can be useful.
Read More:
- 10 Best Personal Finance Apps
- Start Making More Money Now with These Passive Income Apps
- These 13 Apps Empower You to Save (and Earn) More Money
Kathryn Vercillo is a professional writer who loves to live a balanced life. She appreciates a good work-life balance. She enjoys balance in her relationships and has worked hard to learn how to balance her finances to allow for a balanced life overall. Although she’s only blonde some of the time, she’s always striving for total balance. She’s excited to share what she’s learned with you and to discover more together along the way.
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