Free tool · 98 cards in the database
Card value calculator.
Pick a card — or two, for a stack — and your estimated annual spend to see whether the annual fee pays for itself, both in the bonus-heavy first year and every year after.
Rewards math assumes you pay your balance in full every month — interest charges quickly exceed any rewards value.
American Express
Amex Cobalt Card
$191.88 annual fee · Amex Membership Rewards
Estimated earn this year
$605.88
Welcome bonus (full offer)
$285
Net value, year one (bonus + earn − fee)
$699
Net value, ongoing years (earn − fee, no bonus)
$414
Earn rates
- 5x Eats & drinks (groceries, restaurants, food delivery) — first $2,500/month
- 3x Streaming subscriptions
- 2x Gas and local commuter transportation (transit, taxi, rideshare)
- 1x Everything else
Estimates scale each card’s editorial first-year value against a $24,000/year baseline spend assumption, then subtract the annual fee. Earn is scaled between a quarter and three times that baseline; outside that band — below about $6,000 or above $72,000 of spend — it stops tracking spend one-for-one. Bonus values assume you meet the card’s minimum-spend requirements (listed in each offer’s terms); at lower spend you may earn only part of the bonus. Rewards math also assumes you pay your balance in full every month — interest charges quickly exceed any rewards value. Actual value depends on which categories you spend in — see each card’s earn rates above, and its full review for the details behind the numbers.
How to use this
A card’s welcome bonus can carry year one on its own, but the real test of whether a fee is worth paying is what happens after the bonus is gone. Use the ongoing net value here to judge that — if it’s negative, the card only earns its keep during a bonus year and should probably be downgraded or cancelled once the annual fee posts again. For the full breakdown behind any card’s numbers, see its card review, or browse our ranked lists by category.
Frequently asked questions
How is 'net value' calculated?
We start from each card's editorial first-year net value (welcome tranches issued before the first anniversary plus estimated year-one earn, minus the annual fee) and scale the earn portion against your entered annual spend, using a $24,000/year baseline. Anniversary, renewal, and month-13-or-later tranches are excluded. Ongoing net value strips out the one-time welcome bonus, since you only get that once.
Why does the estimate change with my spend but not perfectly by category?
Card earn rates apply to specific categories (groceries, travel, dining, and so on), and category mixes vary a lot person to person. Rather than guess your grocery-versus-gas split, we scale the card's overall estimated earn proportionally to your total spend — a reasonable approximation, not a category-by-category simulation. Check the earn rates listed on each card to judge whether your real spend mix would earn more or less.
Does the calculator account for interest charges or minimum spend?
No. The math assumes you pay your balance in full every month — if you carry a balance, interest charges quickly exceed any rewards value. Bonus values also assume you meet the offer's minimum-spend requirements, listed in each offer's terms; at lower spend you may earn only part of the bonus.
What does 'both cards together' show?
If you pick two cards, we add up their fees and net values so you can see the combined picture of running both — useful for comparing a one-card strategy against a common two-card stack (like a flexible-points card plus a co-brand airline card).
Card terms, fees, and bonuses change frequently — always confirm current offers on the issuer’s site before applying. See our methodology for how we score and value cards.