Credit Card Annual Fee Break-Even Calculator
How much you must spend for a rewards card’s annual fee to pay off versus a no-fee card.
Tool inputs stay in your browser · optional AI search sends your query
Good to know: Break-even spend = annual fee ÷ (rewards rate − no-fee card rate). Ignores perks you would not use.
How to use it (step by step)
- 1Fill in the boxes: “Annual fee”, “Rewards rate of the fee card (%)”, “Rewards rate of a no-fee card (%)”, “Value of perks you will actually use / year”. Example numbers are already there so you can see how it works; replace them with yours.
- 2The result updates instantly as you type (on a phone it is below the boxes).
- 3The bold line is the main answer. Tap Copy next to any value to copy it.
Words to know
- Cashback / rewards
- Money or points you get back for spending on a card, like a small discount after you pay.
- ROI / break-even / CAGR
- ROI = how much you gained compared to what you put in. Break-even = the point where you stop losing money. CAGR = average yearly growth.
- Percentage
- A part out of 100. 25% of 200 = 50.
- Premium pay
- Extra pay for working on a rest day or holiday — e.g. 130% on a rest day, 200% on a regular holiday. Like time-and-a-half, set by DOLE.
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