CardIQ exists because most credit card comparison sites bury you in generic lists. We wanted something that actually looks at how you spend and tells you the exact dollar amount you're leaving on the table.
The average American is using the wrong credit card for their lifestyle and losing hundreds of dollars a year in unrealized rewards. The right card for a road-tripper who spends $800/month on gas and groceries is completely different from the right card for someone who lives in restaurants and travels twice a year for work.
But credit card sites treat everyone the same. They rank cards by welcome bonus size or affiliate payout, not by what actually matters: how much you'll earn on your real spending.
CardIQ connects to your bank account using Plaid, the same technology behind Venmo, Robinhood, and Coinbase, to get a read-only view of your recent transactions. We never see your login credentials and we can never move money.
We then run your transaction history through our recommendation engine, which:
The entire analysis takes about 10 seconds. Your results are shown instantly and never stored on our servers. They live only in your browser session.
CardIQ earns a commission when you apply for a card through a link on our site and are approved. This is how we keep the tool free for everyone.
We are committed to one thing: the rankings are never influenced by commission rates. Every card is ranked purely by the math of your spending. If a card that pays us nothing is your best match, that's what we'll recommend.
We also make clear that our catalog covers a curated selection of major cards. There may be cards outside our catalog that are equally or more suitable for you. We encourage you to do your own research before applying.
We take data minimization seriously. Here's exactly what happens with your information:
Read our full Privacy Policy for more detail.
Hey, I'm Lance. I built CardIQ because I kept running into the same frustration. I'd spend way too long on credit card comparison sites and walk away with nothing useful. The lists were endless, the "best card" picks felt random, and none of them were looking at how I actually spend money.
I travel a fair amount and eat out more than I should. I knew there had to be a card that was genuinely better for my lifestyle, I just couldn't figure out which one without doing all the math myself. So I did — first in a spreadsheet, then into something I could actually share.
CardIQ is just me. No investors, no editorial team, no deals with card issuers. The only way I make money is if you find a card you love and apply through a link here. That keeps my incentives pretty simple: give you the most honest recommendation I can.
Questions, feedback, or card suggestions? We'd love to hear from you.