Hi all, I’m the indie developer who’s been working on the CardPointers app which launched on the App Store almost exactly 3 years ago and I’ve been cranking out update after update since then thanks to awesome user feedback. I just released a huge 4.0 release alongside iOS 16 last week, and I’m over the moon that Apple has featured the app in 3 different feature lists in the App Store and in their “Great Apps for iOS 16” list, bringing a huge amount of new users into the credit card rewards world (being able to fly for ~free is pretty game-changing)
The app works by adding the names of the cards that you already have (no bank logins or anything like that, your banking data is yours, and should never belong to anyone else), then the app will automatically tell you which card to use across 1,000s of different stores and categories, includes an extension so you can activate and sync all of your Amex and Chase offers in one tap and help you actually remember to use them, let you know when you have recurring monthly/annual statement credits to use (and you can check them off once you’ve used them), and has all of the important details about your cards’ features in one place.
Here are just some of the new features in the totally redesigned 4.0 release:
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Lock Screen Widgets: Know which card to use without unlocking your phone. This works really great on the new iPhone 14 Pro, but also works on all the older iPhones which work with iOS 16. Now you don’t even have to wake the device anymore, you can see at a glance which card to use at Gas Stations right now (5x on the Chase Freedom is sweet!), or any other category or store. You can see which card to use for any store or category, as well as see your expiring offers, all without opening the app. Tap on any of these and you can jump straight to that section of the app.
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App Shortcuts: Ask Siri which card to use at any store. After adding your cards in the CardPointers app, 1,000s of shortcuts are automatically created in the new App Shortcuts section of the Shortcuts app, and in Apple fashion, “they just work”. Now you can ask Siri, “CardPointers for Starbucks”, or pretty much any other store (and you can add any which are missing, too), and it will tell you immediately which card to use there to earn say 4x points if you have an Amex Gold card, as well as tell you about any Amex or Chase offers you may have added to your cards through the Safari extension to help you save cash there, too.
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1,000s of Stores: I’ve completely revamped the Pointers section and integrated the extension database right into the app, so now you can see which card to use by store name, rather than category, and you can even add your local Mom & Pop store, categorize it, and it will show up automatically in the app and extension in the future. This lays the groundwork for even more exciting features which I will be announcing soon.
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Best Card Wizard: Quickest way to know which card/offer to use. The wizard powers the shortcuts above, but it’s also featured in the new For You screen. In just a few taps you can view any store and see the best offer you have at a store, as well as your top card there — and it’s smart, too, as it tells you the ideal spend there to maximize your offer. For example, if you have a save 10% at Starbucks on up to $5, the wizard will tell you to spend $50 there to maximize the cash back offer.
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Focus Filters: Hide cards with foreign exchange fees, show only your business cards when in work focus, and more.
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Shared With You: Keep track of the best Amex/Chase offers shared by friends from the app or the new cardpointers.com/offers page where I’ve started publishing all of the newest Amex and Chase offers.
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Passkeys: No password needed anymore. I’ve supported Sign in with Apple since I first launched in 2019, and while most folks use that, I’ve made passkeys the default for users who want to manually create an account. You can also add a passkey to your existing account so you can more easily and securely log in that way, too, and you can revoke a passkey at any point from the Settings screen (a crucial step which I haven’t seen in other apps which have adopted Apple’s passkeys).
I’d love to have you check out the app, and always appreciate feedback and happy to answer any questions. I hope you’ll find the new wizard-powered automated App Shortcuts a huge timesaver, as well as the lock screen widgets and focus filters, definitely my 3 favorite new features of iOS 16.
The app is free to download, has a lot of features included for free (every feature from v1 continues to be free for new and existing users), and the more advanced features are under a Pro tier which is available as a monthly, annual, or lifetime upgrade option. I hope you’ll find it really helpful, whether you’re new to maximizing your credit card rewards or a seasoned pro — there are a ton of advanced features in the app while keeping it approachable for beginners, too.
App Store Download: https://itunes.apple.com/app/id1472875808
Chrome Extension: https://cardpointers.com/extension
Website: https://cardpointers.com