CardSavvy Optimizer Glossary (FAQ)

When you use CardSavvy’s Wallet Optimizer, you’ll see a few terms that make the results easier to compare across cards (cash back and points) and across categories (flights, dining, Costco, etc.). This FAQ explains the jargon in plain English.

Core metrics

What is Estimated Annual Net Value?

Estimated Annual Net Value is your optimizer’s bottom-line estimate for a full year:

Estimated Annual Net Value = (total value of rewards earned) − (total annual fees)

This number is shown prominently at the top of the Wallet Optimizer results.

What are Total Rewards?

In the Card Performance Breakdown, Total Rewards is the estimated yearly value generated by a specific card before subtracting its annual fee.

Think of it as:

“How much value this card produces from the spending you assign to it.”

What is the Annual Fee?

The Annual Fee is the yearly cost of holding a card. In CardSavvy’s breakdown tables, it’s shown as a negative number because it reduces your net value.

Recommendation terms

What is a Recommended Card?

For each spending category (Flights, Hotels, Dining, etc.), CardSavvy selects the card that produces the highest estimated value under the assumptions shown on the page.

What is Rewards Earned?

In the “Top Recommendations” table, Rewards Earned is the estimated yearly value for that spending category using the recommended card.

Rewards Earned = (your annual spend in that category) × (earning rate / multiplier) × (point value if applicable)

For cash-back cards, the “value” is straightforward (e.g., 3% of your spend). For points cards, CardSavvy converts points into dollars using a point valuation (more on that below).

What does Upside mean?

Upside is the earning-rate advantage CardSavvy is using for that category—usually shown as a multiplier like “8x”.

If it’s a points card, “8x” typically means 8 points per dollar (then converted to a dollar value using CardSavvy’s point valuation).
If it’s a cash back card, it’s effectively an “x” way of describing a boosted return rate.

If you see a note like “via Portal”, that upside applies only if you book through the issuer’s travel portal (e.g., “Assumes booking via Chase Travel”).

“Find a New Card” terms (incremental value)

What is Estimated Annual Uplift?

When you’re looking at Your Top Card Recommendation (the “Find a New Card” view), Estimated Annual Uplift is the gross additional yearly value CardSavvy expects you to gain by adding that card before subtracting its annual fee.

Estimated Annual Uplift = (additional rewards value from adding the new card)

What is Net after annual fee?

This is the net improvement after paying the new card’s annual fee:

Net after annual fee = Estimated Annual Uplift − Annual Fee

This is why you might see something like:

Uplift: $688
Annual fee: $325
Net after annual fee: $363

What are Biggest Reward Gains?

This shows the categories contributing the most to the uplift (e.g., Grocery + $X, Dining +$ Y). It’s essentially an “explainability” panel that answers:

“Where is the extra value coming from?”

Wallet maintenance & alerts

What is a Wallet Health Alert?

A Wallet Health Alert flags cards that appear to be costing you money in the model—usually because their annual fee is larger than the rewards value you’re getting from them under your current spending inputs.

It’s a quick way to spot:

Cards that aren’t being used much
Cards whose rewards don’t justify the fee (in the optimizer’s math)

Important: This alert may not include “soft” benefits you personally value (e.g., lounge access, insurance, free checked bags, statement credits you reliably use). If you get meaningful value from those benefits, the card might still be worth keeping even if the optimizer flags it.

Assumptions you’ll see on the page

What does “Assumes booking via [issuer] Travel / Portal” mean?

Some cards have boosted earnings only when you book through the issuer’s travel portal. If the optimizer shows a note like that, CardSavvy is calculating the category using the portal earning rate—not the “book direct” rate.

If you don’t plan to book that way, your actual rewards could be lower, and the recommendation may change.

What does Point Value mean?

To compare points cards and cash-back cards fairly, CardSavvy converts points into dollars using an assumed cents-per-point value.

That’s why you may see a note like:

“Legacy Holder? Points earned before Oct ’25 may be worth 1.5¢. You can manually adjust this above.”

In other words:

CardSavvy uses a default point valuation
Some users may value points differently (or have special redemption rules)
You can adjust the valuation to match your reality

Buttons / modes

What’s the difference between Optimize Current Cards and Find a New Card?

Optimize Current Cards

Uses only the cards already in your wallet
Assigns each spending category to the best card you already have
Produces your optimized Estimated Annual Net Value for your current wallet

Find a New Card

Searches beyond your current wallet
Suggests the single best card to add based on net improvement
Highlights Estimated Annual Uplift and Net after annual fee

Quick “sanity check” tips

If a recommendation depends on “via Portal” and you never use portals, treat that as a red flag and adjust assumptions.
If a card is flagged as underperforming, ask: “Do I get value from benefits not modeled here?”
If you redeem points in a special way, update your point value so the comparisons reflect your real world.