Max Rewards App Review
The app I thought was spammy actually turned out to be pretty great.
The App That Kept Nagging
For a while, I kept getting Reddit and Twitter ads for this app called MaxRewards. The app helps you manage your credit cards and automatically signs you up for any credit card deals offered by your issuer—the ones you’re likely to ignore because there’s a ton of them, and you have to manually add them, often forgetting about them.
Initially, I was skeptical. I thought the app was spammy. I hesitated downloading a third party app that asked me to link my credit card details. But then a smart friend of mine tried it and shared their positive experience. Intrigued, I asked for a referral, linked my credit cards, and discovered it’s been worth it.
All-in-One Hub for All Things Credit Cards
MaxRewards is a comprehensive tool for anyone juggling multiple credit cards. It simplifies the process of managing rewards, offers, and benefits across different issuers.
Who Is It For?
MaxRewards is perfect for anyone with multiple credit cards. The app shines if you have more than four credit cards, especially from different issuers.
As a credit card hobbyist with 10 cards from 7 different issuers, keeping track of all the rewards, offers, and benefits was never something I considered before using MaxRewards. Now, it’s easy to see if I have any worthwhile deals from retailers I frequently shop at.
While I love spending time in each of my credit card’s app, having one place where I can view everything was an intriguing proposition.
Free vs. Premium Version
MaxRewards offers a free version and a Gold version with additional benefits. I’m reviewing the Gold version, which costs $60 per year.
What I Like about MaxRewards
I use YNAB to help manage my spending, but MaxRewards gives me a great high-level overview across all my cards.
- Home Tab: Displays my credit card balance, rewards balance, and credit utilization.
- Activity Tab: Shows all my transactions across all cards and identifies the expected cashback based on card details.
- Best Card Feature: Helps see which card yields the most rewards for a specific retailer or category. This is particularly useful for larger purchases.
- Benefits Section: Consolidates niche benefits by credit card, such as cell phone protection, lounge access, and extended warranty information.
- Offers: MaxRewards automatically activates offers across all my credit cards. This feature alone is worth the $60 per year subscription. I’ve redeemed over $1,000 in offers!
What I Don’t Like
While MaxRewards has a lot to offer, there are a few areas where it could improve:
- Setup Time: Getting everything set up takes a while, especially if you have many credit cards. Given the sensitive nature of credit card information, it’s understandable, but it can be tedious.
- Syncing Delays: The app takes a while to sync with your credit cards and import/activate offers. While necessary for security, it detracts from the user experience.
- Frequent Re-Syncing: Each time you open the app, syncing can take a while. Occasionally, I’ve had to manually log into each account again, which is frustrating.
- Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Some issuers, like my Apple Card and Wells Fargo card, require 2FA every time you sync. While I appreciate the security, it would be better if 2FA weren’t needed every single time.
Where Do I Get Most of My Rewards?
As a family of three, our spending on streaming subscriptions yielded significant rewards. Mom’s gotta have Netflix for her murder documentaries, dad is a live sports junkie and this family will fall apart without Bluey. We’ve saved through offers like $20 off YouTube TV, Fubo, and Disney+ for three months. These savings accumulate over time and MaxRewards makes it easy to identify which of our credit cards are offering the promotions so we can update our cards on file to take advantage of them.
Retailer promotions from Amex, like $20 off a $100 purchase at Lululemon, Allbirds, and Fanatics, provide substantial savings, often around 20% off what we buy. These purchases are more infrequent so I’ve gotten in the habit of reviewing available offers before making these kinds of purchases.
Travel deals, such as up to $100 off hotel reservations and 50% off our Clear membership, also contribute to our savings.
All these savings justify the cost of the Gold subscription, despite the syncing issues, initial setup time and inconveniences I mentioned before.
