Which credit card should you use today?
If you pay your cards in full each month, the card that gives you the most time before payment is usually the one whose statement date passed most recently. A purchase made just after a statement date waits almost a whole billing cycle to be billed, then the gap until that statement's due date. Cardper's Smart Spend works this out from the dates you entered and ranks your cards for today.
How to work it out
- For each card, find the next statement date after today. That is the statement today's purchase lands on.
- Find the due date of that statement.
- Count the days from today to that due date. The card with the most days gives you the most time.
- Check the card has enough room on its limit for what you are spending.
An example, for a purchase on 29 October
Card A closed its statement yesterday, so today's purchase waits for the next one. Card C closes in three days, so today's purchase is due soon after.
| Card | Statement day | Due day | Payment due | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Card A | 28th | 18th | 18 December | 50 |
| Card B | 15th | 5th | 5 December | 37 |
| Card C | 1st | 11th | 11 November | 13 |
Worth keeping in mind
- This holds when you pay the full statement balance. A balance carried over usually accrues interest, and then the rate matters more than the timing.
- The days come from your card's terms, not from Cardper. Cardper does the arithmetic on the dates you entered.
- Rewards, fees and foreign currency charges can matter more than a few days. Weigh them too.
Cardper at a glance
- What it is
- A free app for iPhone and Android that tracks credit card statement dates, due dates and payments.
- How it works
- You enter each card's statement day and due day once. Cardper works out every cycle from them and reminds you ahead of each due date.
- What it never does
- It connects to no bank, never asks for a full card number (the last four digits are optional) and moves no money.
- Where your data lives
- On your device. Encrypted cloud sync is optional and off until you turn it on.
- Account
- None needed. Sign in with Apple or Google only for sync.
- Free
- Three cards in one personal wallet, three built in due date reminders in the app and the Smart Spend ranking, with no time limit. Supported by ads.
- Pro
- Unlimited cards and wallets, push reminders at your own times, statement cut reminders, all currencies, cloud sync and no ads. Priced by the App Store and Google Play in your country.
- Languages
- English, Turkish, French and Spanish.
Questions
What is float?
Float is the time between buying something and paying for it. Your card's statement and due dates set it; Cardper works it out from the days you entered.
Does Cardper tell me which card to use?
Smart Spend ranks your cards by float for today. The free tier gives you the ranking. Pro also lets you type the amount you are about to spend and sets aside the cards without room on their limit.
Does the best card change during the month?
Yes. Each time a card's statement closes, that card moves to the top of the ranking, and the card that was on top moves down as its own statement date approaches.
Try Cardper
Free on iOS and Android. Add your first card in under a minute.
