A rewards point is not a unit of money. It is a token the issuer lets you redeem at a rate it sets — and that rate is the single biggest factor in whether a points card is worth carrying. 3x points sounds bigger than 3% cash back, but three points worth one cent each earn the same three cents as a 3% cashback card. Make those points worth two cents and the same 3x beats 5% cash back. The number that matters is cents per point, and PerkPro asks you for it.
Everything in PerkPro that compares cards — the merchant optimizer, the net-value view, your sign-up bonus progress — runs through that one number. Set it honestly and the app stops guessing on your behalf.
Where the number comes from
Every points card in PerkPro carries a point value in cents per point. Cards pulled from the library come with a sensible default, and the wallet shows it next to each card — for example, "Ultimate Rewards valued at 2.0¢". You can override it per card with your own valuation, so a card you redeem for travel transfers can sit at a different value than one you cash out for statement credit.
Set it to a redemption you would actually use. Cash-back and statement credit are the floor — what you can get without lifting a finger. Airline and hotel transfers are the ceiling, but only if you have a redemption in mind that pays that rate. A valuation nobody can achieve is just a way to make a card look better than it is.
Why it decides your best card
The recommendation engine multiplies each card's earn rate by your point value to turn points into dollars, then ranks points cards and cashback cards on the same scale. The full breakdown of how that ranking works is in how PerkPro picks the right card for every purchase.
Change the valuation and the winner can flip. A 3x points card at 1.5¢ per point earns 4.5% on a purchase — ahead of a 4% cashback card. Drop the valuation to 1.2¢ and that same 3x earns 3.6%, and the cashback card takes over. PerkPro does that comparison on every purchase, using the value you set.
There is one wrinkle worth knowing. When a rotating 5% cashback category is live, even a well-valued points card can lose a quarter — and when that category caps out or rotates away, the points card takes back over. We cover that timing in how to actually use rotating 5% bonus categories.
What it does to your sign-up bonus
A welcome offer quoted in points is worth exactly those points times your point value — nothing more, nothing less. PerkPro's sign-up bonus tracker shows the bonus in dollars using your own valuation, so a 75,000-point offer is $1,500 at 2¢ per point and $750 at 1¢. How to actually finish that bonus without overspending is a topic of its own: how to actually hit your credit card sign-up bonus.
Annual fees and credits, on a separate line
Point value does not pay your annual fee — credits do. PerkPro's net-value view compares each card's statement credits against its annual fee, and shows the credits you have actually used versus every credit the card offers. A card can be net-positive on paper and still cost you money if you never activate its credits.
Point value is what tells you whether the earn rate is worth paying the fee for in the first place. See both together on the wallet screen.
Set it honestly
- Use a redemption you will realistically make, not the best-case transfer partner you read about once.
- Cash and statement credit are the safe floor; travel transfers are the upside, but only when you have a specific redemption that pays it.
- Revisit the number when an issuer devalues a currency — points programs change, and a stale high valuation quietly overstates your wallet.
- You can set a different value per card, because you may redeem different programs differently.
Try it before signing up
Guest mode lets you add cards, set your own point valuations, and run the optimizer without creating an account. Everything you build as a guest carries over the moment you sign up.
A note on trust
PerkPro provides informational estimates, not financial advice, and point values are yours to judge — always confirm redemption rates with the issuer before you rely on them. We may earn a commission on card application links, but that never influences which of your own cards we tell you to use: the recommendation engine has no idea whether a card pays us anything. Read the full affiliate disclosure.