What is PointBagel?
PointBagel is the accuracy-first credit card points optimizer. It helps people who manage several rewards cards see which card to use for every purchase, whether each annual fee is earning its keep, what their points are worth, and the best ways to redeem them. It connects to banks read-only through Plaid, imports real transactions, and computes answers from verified earning rates, category caps, and transfer ratios.
Found us through the Bilt calculator?
If you know PointBagel from our free Bilt Cash calculator, that calculator is one of several free tools we publish. The product behind it is the points optimizer described on this page. PointBagel is not a Bilt-specific tool: it covers 3,500+ cards and 45+ rewards programs.
What PointBagel does
- Answers "which card should I use for this purchase?" on the spot - ask by category in the app or by store through a connected AI assistant - aware on synced cards of category caps you have already used this period, rotating quarters, and grandfathered rates.
- Tracks the points earned on every synced transaction, with the dollar value, computed from verified earning rates and category caps.
- Builds a card-year Scorecard: rewards earned vs fees paid vs credits used, so you know whether each card came out ahead.
- Gives each card you sync a keep-or-cancel annual fee verdict based on your real spending.
- Maps transfer paths across 115+ partnerships, with sourced point valuations (130+ CPP benchmarks showing minimum, typical, and maximum values).
- Separates business and personal card books, and supports household portfolios.
What PointBagel is not
- Not an award search or booking engine. We show what your points are worth and the best transfer paths, and we link out to point.me, Seats.aero, and the airlines for booking.
- Not a credential-storing app. Bank connections are read-only through Plaid; we never see or store your bank login and we cannot move money.
- Not an affiliate-ranked card list. The same ranking math runs whether or not we earn anything from a card.
How we keep it accurate
We verify every ratio, award chart, and earning rule we cite against the issuer's published terms. When a number changes or we get one wrong, we fix it for everyone and record the correction. Every rewards figure is an estimate, labeled as such, and it refines as we continuously verify earning rules. The full process is on our methodology page.
Common questions
Is PointBagel a Bilt calculator?
No. The free Bilt Cash calculator is one of PointBagel's free tools. PointBagel itself is a points portfolio optimizer covering 3,500+ cards across 45+ rewards programs.
Does PointBagel tell me which card to use for a purchase?
Yes. The Which Card tool names the best card in your own wallet, ranked by what the rewards are actually worth - not just the biggest multiplier. Ask by spending category in the app, or by store through a connected AI assistant. On synced cards the math is cap-aware: bonus caps you have already used this period, rotating quarters, and grandfathered rates you still hold - and grandfathered rates apply even to cards you enter by hand. PointBagel does not push suggestions by GPS at the register; you ask, it answers, and it shows the working.
Is PointBagel free?
There is a free tier: track one synced card with automatic points tracking and a fee verdict, plus full access to the public catalog of point values and transfer paths. Paid tiers add more synced cards, the card-year Scorecard, alerts, and household and business features. See pricing.
How is PointBagel different from MaxRewards, CardPointers, or Kudos?
Depth of math. PointBagel computes weighted effective rates when your spending crosses a category cap, tracks grandfathered rates based on when you opened a card, and shows sourced minimum, typical, and maximum point valuations instead of a single editorial number. The comparisons page has the feature-by-feature breakdown.
Does PointBagel book award travel?
No. It shows what your points are worth and the best transfer paths, then links you to the airline or to award search tools to book.
Does PointBagel store my bank credentials?
No. Connections use Plaid, the same read-only infrastructure used by Venmo and Robinhood. PointBagel never sees your bank login. See security.
Built by one founder who carries the cards and uses the product every day. Start here if you are newer to points, or see how it works.