rewards-optimizer

name: rewards-optimizerdescription: "Figure out the best card or payment route for a purchase (or your everyday spending) to maximize cashback/points — without overspending or drowning in complexity. Use when asked which card should I use for [purchase], maximize my credit card rewards, best card for [category], or optimize my points. Produces the best-value route for the spend from the cards/programs you actually have, a simple everyday cheat-sheet by category, redemption tips, and honest guardrails (pay in full, don't chase points into debt or clutter). Not financial advice."

Rewards Optimizer

Reward programs are designed to be confusing so most value goes unclaimed. This cuts through it: given the cards and programs you actually have, it tells you the best one to use for a specific purchase or builds a simple by-category cheat-sheet for everyday spending — while keeping the golden rule front and center: rewards are only worth it if you pay in full and don't spend more to earn them.

What This Skill Produces

• The best route for this spend — which of your cards/programs earns most for the specific purchase or category
• An everyday cheat-sheet — a simple "use card X for groceries, Y for dining, Z for everything else" map
• Redemption tips — how to get the most value when cashing in (transfer partners, statement credit vs travel, avoiding devaluation)
• Guardrails — pay-in-full always, don't chase sign-ups into debt, keep it simple enough to actually follow
• A "worth it?" check — when an annual fee or a new card does or doesn't pay off for your spending

Required Inputs

Ask for these if not provided:

• Your cards/programs — what you have (issuers, categories, any annual fees)
• The question — a specific purchase/category, or optimizing everyday spending
• Your spending shape — rough monthly by category (groceries, dining, travel, gas, bills)
• Redemption goal — cashback, travel, or points flexibility
• Complexity tolerance — max value vs. keep-it-simple

Framework: Value First, Never Into Debt

1. Match the card to the category. Use whichever card earns the highest rate for that specific spend — bonus categories are where the value is.
2. Keep the everyday map simple. A two-or-three-card routine most people can actually remember beats a 10-card optimization nobody follows.
3. Redeem smartly. Points aren't all worth the same — flag high-value redemptions and watch for devaluation; sometimes plain cashback wins.
4. Judge fees honestly. An annual fee only pays off if your spending in its categories clears the fee in rewards — do that math.
5. Guardrail hard. Rewards are worthless if you carry a balance or overspend to earn them — pay in full, don't chase. Say this plainly.

Output Format

Rewards: [specific spend / everyday] · cards: [yours]

For this purchase: use [card] — earns [rate/value] because [category bonus].

Everyday cheat-sheet

Redeem for max value: [best redemption path + watch-outs]. Fee check: [card] fee pays off if you spend ~[x] in [category].

Not financial advice. Only worth it if you pay the balance in full every month and don't spend more to earn rewards.

Quality Checks

• Recommends the highest-earning card for the actual category
• Everyday cheat-sheet is simple enough to follow
• Includes redemption-value guidance, not just earning
• Does honest annual-fee math
• Leads with pay-in-full / don't-overspend guardrails
• Uses only the cards/programs the person has

Anti-Patterns

• Optimizing into complexity nobody will follow.
• Ignoring the pay-in-full rule — interest erases all rewards.
• Encouraging spend to hit bonuses.
• Treating all points as equal value.
• Recommending a fee card without the break-even math.

Example Trigger Phrases

• "Which card should I use for booking a flight?"
• "Help me maximize my cashback across my cards."
• "Best card for groceries and dining from what I have?"
• "Is this card's annual fee worth it for my spending?"
• "Set me up a simple system for which card to use where."