Three jobs, done properly.
CardMates only ships a feature when it reflects how the program actually works — not how a marketing page describes it.
Smart rewards optimization
Every card you carry, scored per category and per purchase. Dated benefits get their own countdown so a certificate never dies in a drawer.
- Category-aware recommendations at the moment of spend
- Certificate and credit countdowns with renewal-aware alerts
- Noise filter: we hide the marginal 0.5% chases
True cost of carry
A ledger per card: what the fee costs, what the perks returned, and what happens to your profile if you open, downgrade, or close.
- Annual fee vs. credits genuinely redeemed
- Cut / keep / downgrade recommendation before renewal
- Timing guidance for opening and closing accounts
Shared pools and partner perks
Invite family and friends, see contributions in one balance, and follow each program's actual mechanics instead of guessing.
- Consent-based sharing of program details between members
- Provider-specific guided transfer, pooling, and gifting flows
- Partner perks unlocked at shared thresholds
What each program really does
Companion benefits are not one thing. Some are single-use certificates, one is an ongoing designated-companion status, and hotel programs are transfers between separate accounts. CardMates models each correctly.
| Program | Actual mechanism | How the other person participates | CardMates experience |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Companion Fare | Single-use annual discount code | Chosen when you book two passengers — no permanent linkage | Certificate, expiry, eligibility checklist, hand-off to Alaska booking |
| Delta Companion Certificate | Single-use certificate | Second traveler chosen during the qualifying reservation | Certificate and expiry tracking, then hand-off to Delta |
| British Airways Travel Together | Voucher used on an Avios award booking | Chosen at redemption; award availability required | Avios and cash requirements explained, then hand-off to BA |
| Southwest Companion Pass | Ongoing status with one designated companion | A named companion you can change a limited number of times | Companion profile, active dates, change counter, booking reminders |
| Hilton Honors | Points transfer/pooling or booking for another guest | Separate Hilton accounts — not a card companion certificate | Share membership details with consent, then guide transfer or guest booking |
| Marriott Bonvoy | Member-to-member transfer or guest award booking | Separate Bonvoy accounts; no shared household account | Guided transfer or “book for guest” flow |
| World of Hyatt | Points combining or award gifting, incl. eligible Guest of Honor | Recipient may need a Hyatt account depending on the action | Provider-specific guided flow with support for manual steps |
| IHG One Rewards | Points transfer or award booking for another guest | Separate IHG accounts; fees and status benefits vary | Current fee and eligibility shown before hand-off |
CardMates never books on your behalf without you. Where a program requires action in its own app, we prepare everything and hand you off at the right moment.
See it working
The interactive demo runs the card picker, the reward simulator, and the family pool with live numbers.