The only free tool that combines a lifetime cash back compounding projection, a category "leak" detector, and a scored Cash Back IQ Assessment — in one place.
Model your total cash back over time, with or without reinvestment.
Enter your annual spend per category and your current card's flat rate to see what optimized category cards would earn instead.
Answer 8 quick questions to get your scored, shareable Cash Back IQ.
1. What determines which bonus category a purchase falls into?
2. Is standard purchase cash back taxable income in the U.S.?
3. What's the main advantage of cash back over travel points?
4. What commonly causes cardholders to miss rotating 5% bonus categories?
5. What is a realistic top blended rate from a well-optimized 3-card stack?
6. Do referral bonuses get taxed differently than standard purchase cash back?
7. What happens to unredeemed cash back if you close your account?
8. Roughly what share of eligible cardholders actively optimize categories each quarter?
Bookmark this page, share it with friends using the icons at the top, and tell others on social media. It's free, it's evergreen, and your results are worth revisiting every quarter as spending and rates change.
Straight answers about the Cash Back Mastery Simulator and how it works.
It is a free, three-part interactive tool that calculates your Cash Back IQ score, projects your lifetime cash back earnings across up to 30 years including reinvestment, and detects how much cash back you are currently losing ("leaking") by not using category-optimized cards.
Most cash back calculators only compute a single purchase or a single year of spending. The Cash Back Mastery Simulator projects multi-decade compounding, factors in annual spending growth and reinvestment at a chosen APY, and compares your current blended rate against category-optimized benchmark rates to quantify exact dollar losses.
Yes. All three modules -- the IQ Assessment, the Lifetime Compound Projector, and the Leak Detector -- are 100% free to use with no account, signup, or paywall required.
The projector uses your entered monthly spend, chosen cash back rate, selected time horizon, annual spend growth rate, and optional reinvestment APY. The Leak Detector compares your entered category spend and current blended rate against illustrative optimized category benchmark rates (5% groceries, 4% dining, 4% gas, 3% travel, 2% other) commonly seen across top-tier bonus-category cards.
No. This tool and site are for educational and informational purposes only. Nothing here constitutes financial, investment, tax, or legal advice. See our full disclaimer for details.
Yes. The simulator works as a planning tool for anyone -- you can model hypothetical spend and rates to understand what a cash back strategy could be worth before you ever apply for a card.