Guide
What is credit card routing? (2026)
By the Pikt editorial teamPublished Updated
Pikt tells you which card to use
Most card lists rank cards you could open. Pikt compares the cards you already carry for this purchase, then shows the estimated dollar difference and why the recommendation fits.
This is personal card routing: match each purchase to the right card from your wallet. Pikt recommends the card; you still pay with it yourself.
The general answer, before your wallet
Reward routing is choosing the highest-earning card in your wallet for one purchase — by store, category, and catch-all rate. Pikt estimates which card that is. You still pay with your own card.
Quick decision table
| Card | Best for | Earn rate | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memory | Guessing at the register | Easy to miss | — |
| A notes app | Static category list | Goes stale | — |
| Pikt Checkout | Online checkout today | Named per purchase | Free |
Why the answer varies
The likely winner depends on the cards a person carries, the merchant category, active bonus categories and offers, reward values, earnings caps, known fees, and issuer terms. Card acceptance can also remove an otherwise higher-earning option. A public guide is a general comparison until a user provides their own wallet.
Pikt personalizes each estimate to the cards you already carry, the purchase details, and any reward values you set. It learns from confirmed card choices over time, while verified rewards math remains the basis for the result and the explanation. Use Card Check for a recommendation based on the cards you carry.
Why the usual card can earn less
Most people use the same card at checkout, usually the one on top in their wallet. Another card you already carry can earn more on the same purchase. Extra shown is estimated. Your issuer decides final rewards.
How Pikt compares your cards
Enter the store and amount. Pikt estimates which card in your wallet is likely to earn the most. It shows the estimate of each card’s rewards and a short reason. Issuers decide the final rewards. Online, Pikt Checkout shows this estimate before you pay. For recurring bills, Subscriptions compares the cards you already carry and explains how to change the card on file. In a store, run Card Check on your phone before you pay. Pikt never issues a card or moves your money.
A numbered example: Maya at checkout
Maya carries three cards. At a restaurant she often pays with the card already saved in Chrome.
1. She opens the checkout page. Pikt Checkout suggests the dining card, with the estimated dollar difference versus her default and a short reason.
2. She still types or clicks her own card. Pikt does not fill a number, charge the card, or move money.
3. If she ignores the panel, the saved default wins. The gain is the difference she would have earned by using the named card.
Pikt Checkout estimates which card in your wallet is likely to earn the most before you click pay. It shows an estimate of each card’s rewards and a one-line reason. Extra is estimated; issuers decide. You still pay with your own card.
Pikt never issues a card or moves your money. You always pay directly, so your purchases still count toward your card's bonuses.
Pikt suggests a card you already carry
Review sites may answer "which card" with an apply link. Pikt answers with a card you already carry. Curve-style products charge one card and bill another; U.S. networks may then see the intermediary's category instead of the store's, so grocery and dining bonuses can collapse. Pikt never issues a card.
If the wallet is empty, Pikt cannot name a card. Add the cards you carry by name. You never enter a card number.
What to do next
Add the cards you already carry. Open Card Check for a store you visit this week. If you shop online, install Pikt Checkout so the named card appears before you click pay.
Compare that name with the card you usually use. The dollar difference shows the extra rewards estimated for that purchase.
Limits of the estimate
The dollar difference ranks the cards you already carry. It is not cash in hand unless that card pays cash back. Points convert at the rate you set, or at Pikt's published fallback for that program.
Your issuer makes the final reward decision. If the statement posts a different category than Pikt used, the statement is the source of truth for that charge.
Pikt never issues a card, stores a card number, or submits checkout. Offers that must be activated in an issuer app pay nothing until you activate them. Nearby (lock-screen, in store) is not shipped.
If two cards differ by only a few cents, use the named card or the one you prefer. The small gap shows how close their estimated rewards are.
Frequently asked questions
- Is credit card routing legal?
- Yes — you are choosing which of your own cards to pay with. Pikt suggests the card. You complete the purchase.
- How is Pikt different from Kudos or MaxRewards?
- Pikt recommends a card. It does not issue one or move money. Pikt Checkout estimates which card in your wallet is likely to earn the most before you click pay. It shows an estimate of each card’s rewards and a one-line reason. Extra is estimated; issuers decide. You still pay with your own card. In a store, run Card Check on your phone before you pay.
- How is Pikt different from Curve?
- Curve is an all-in-one card that charges your other cards behind the scenes — but US networks penalize that model: your underlying card sees Curve's merchant code instead of the store's, so category bonuses collapse toward 1×; Amex blocked Curve in 2019; and Curve shut its US product in 2024. Pikt never issues a card and never touches your money. You pay with your own card directly, so the real merchant code reaches your issuer and your category bonuses are kept — nothing for a network to revoke.
Methodology and disclosure
This guide uses Pikt's maintained rewards data and explains the conditions behind its comparison. Read the full methodology and corrections policy. Pikt estimates rewards; issuer terms and final rewards apply.
You may also be wondering
Before you pay, see which card in your wallet is likely to earn more.
Already a member? Open Card Check
The ranking above uses published card terms, not your wallet. Every number here is an estimate. Your issuer decides the final rewards, and you pay with your own card.