Guide
What is credit card routing? (2026)
Credit card routing is the process of selecting the highest-earning card in your wallet for each specific purchase — based on merchant, category, active offers, and catch-all rates. Pikt automates this in real time.
Quick comparison
| Card | Best for | Earn rate | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual routing | Memory-based | Error-prone | — |
| Recommendation apps | Pre-swipe advice | Varies | — |
| Pikt | Automated routing | Optimal | Free tier |
Why most people pick the wrong card
Most people default to the same card at checkout — usually the one on top in their wallet. That habit quietly costs hundreds of dollars a year when another card in your stack earns 3×, 4×, or even 6× on the same purchase.
How Pikt routes smarter than guesswork
Pikt's router weighs your active offers, category earn rates, sign-up bonus progress, and credit-health signals, then returns the best card with a plain-English explanation.
Frequently asked questions
- Is credit card routing legal?
- Yes — you're choosing which of your own cards to pay with. Pikt recommends; you complete the purchase.
- How is Pikt different from Kudos or MaxRewards?
- Pikt carries the decision, not the dollars — no card issued, no money touched. Online, the Pikt Checkout extension auto-fills your best card at checkout; in-store, Pikt Nearby names it on your lock screen when you arrive.
- 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.
$89 at Amazon → Active Cash earns $1.78 (+$0.89 vs default card)
See your personal best cards
Generic advice assumes average spend. Your wallet is different. Take Pikt's 60-second quiz — pick your top spending areas and whether you prefer cash back, travel points, or simplicity.
Where does your money go?
Pick your top spending areas and we'll show you which cards earn the most for each.
What matters most to you?
No account needed to try it · Free to start
No account required · Free to start · No new cards needed