What CardGenie Is
CardGenie is a Canadian credit card comparison and calculator tool. We maintain a database of 40+ Canadian credit cards — tracking annual fees, earn rates by spending category, welcome bonuses, interest rates, income requirements, and insurance coverage details. The database is updated daily using a combination of automated monitoring of issuer websites and the Government of Canada's Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) database, supplemented with manual verification when terms change.
Our calculator takes your actual monthly spending across categories like groceries, gas, dining, travel, and other purchases, and models the net annual value of each card in our database against your numbers. The goal is to surface which card will put the most money back in your pocket given how you actually spend — not based on a hypothetical average Canadian consumer.
How Our Data Works
Our card database is updated on a daily automated schedule. Each entry tracks:
- Annual fee (and whether it is waived in the first year)
- Earn rates by spending category
- Welcome bonus amount, estimated dollar value, and minimum spend requirement
- Purchase interest rate and cash advance rate
- Minimum income requirement
- Travel and purchase insurance details
Every change to a card's terms is logged in a change history, so we can track when issuers adjust rates or promotions. We cross-reference our data against the FCAC's public credit card comparison database to catch discrepancies. When terms change significantly, we flag the affected pages for manual review before publishing updated content.
Despite these processes, credit card terms can change faster than any database can track them. We always recommend verifying current terms directly with the issuer before applying.
How We Make Recommendations
Our calculator models actual expected rewards value for each card in our database based on your specific spending inputs. The calculation works as follows:
You enter your monthly spending by category
Groceries, gas, dining, travel, and other categories. This takes about 30 seconds and does not require creating an account.
We apply each card's earn rate to your spending
For each card in our database, we multiply your monthly spending in each category by that card's earn rate for that category, then sum across all categories to get a total annual points or cash back figure.
We convert rewards to a dollar value and subtract the annual fee
Points currencies are converted to estimated dollar values using standard redemption rates. The card's annual fee is subtracted. The result is your estimated net annual value for that card given your spending.
We rank cards by net value for your spending profile
Cards are ranked by estimated net annual value — the card that puts the most money back in your pocket for your specific spending mix appears first. We do not rank by commission, affiliate relationship, or any other factor.
Editorial Standards
CardGenie content is informational only. We do not provide personalized financial advice and nothing on this site should be construed as a recommendation to apply for any specific product. Credit card suitability depends on individual financial circumstances that we cannot assess.
CardGenie currently has no preferred partner relationships, affiliate agreements, or sponsored placements with any credit card issuer. Our rankings and content are not influenced by commercial relationships with card issuers. If affiliate or referral arrangements are established in the future, they will be disclosed clearly on all affected pages and in our site footer.
We aim to present card features accurately based on publicly available information. Where figures represent estimates — such as points valuations — we note this. We do not guarantee that data is error-free or current at the exact moment you read it; always verify with the issuer before making a financial decision.
Contact
For questions about CardGenie, data corrections, or general inquiries:
Last updated: August 2026
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Credit card information is subject to change — always verify terms with the issuer before applying.