Kudos Review 2024: Earn More Credit Card Rewards, for Free

It's 2024—are you still confused about what your credit card rewards do? Sure, you signed up for that new card because it gives you 'more rewards on travel,' but what exactly does that mean? You might not be getting the most out of those rewards if you don't know how to use the card properly.

Enter Kudos! Kudos is a 100% free AI-powered wallet that does all the extra work for you. The average Kudos member earns an extra $750 per year—just by installing the browser extension and iPhone app and shopping online. Kudos is like Apple Pay, Honey, and Nerdwallet, all-in-one.

I recently bought tickets for a flight to Florida. Thanks to Kudos, I was able to earn 6% back—they make it incredibly easy to turn everyday purchases into maximum rewards.

Thanks to a few ex-Google and PayPal employees, anyone can navigate the credit card rewards industry easily with Kudos. Years of working on high-profile tech and finance programs—building products like Google Pay—means the experts at Kudos can bring you the best credit card advice and rewards, free of charge.

No one has the time to sit down and compare all the rewards offered between their credit cards every time they shop online. Stop leaving money on the table and use Kudos!

How Kudos Maximizes Credit Card Benefits

So, how exactly does Kudos work? Kudos is powered by AI to effectively sift through data for 3,000+ available credit cards and millions of online stores to help you maximize your rewards and benefits.

When you shop online, Kudos picks the best card for you automatically at checkout based on what store you're buying from and what products are in your cart. This will help you earn more rewards and make sure you don't miss out on getting free money back.

Kudos ensures your credit card rewards—like getting points, miles, or cashback at certain stores—will always be used so you can shop smarter online. After all, there's nothing worse than placing an order and then realizing you should've used your other credit card.

If you're in the market for a new card, or just thinking about an expensive purchase, Kudos can also help you decide if opening a new card is worthwhile. These recommendations can help you find the optimal card, or save you the trouble if it isn't worth making a new account.

How to Use Kudos

1. Install Kudos as a browser extension on your computer or as a mobile app on your iPhone. (Again, totally free!)
2. Pick the credit cards you use most often. Don't worry. You won't be asked to enter sensitive banking information.
3. Treat yourself—shop as you usually would.
4. At checkout, Kudos will recommend the best credit card for your purchase.
5. Select the card you want to use, sit back, and enjoy the rewards. If you opt to enter banking information, Kudos can also autofill your card info to speed up checkout.

Make Checkout a Breeze with Autofill

To further streamline the checkout, Kudos can autofill your credit card information in addition to picking the right card. This includes your CCV—no more digging through your wallet trying to remember.

This is totally optional, though. You can absolutely use Kudos without sharing your banking information, and you'll still get all the rewards.

Your privacy matters at Kudos! That's why your information will never be sold or shared with third parties. You can rest easy knowing you'll never have to waste time filling out your payment methods, and it's all completely secure. Kudos is all rewards, no risk.

Kudos Boost Doubles Your Rewards

Another great feature Kudos has to earn free money for you is the rewards boost. Whether you're on a smartphone or computer, you can activate Boost to multiply your earnings.

Kudos is partnered with over 15,000 participating merchants and counting. When you shop at any of these sites, Kudos will match the credit card rewards you're already getting for the purchase.

If your credit card offers 3% rewards back, Kudos will double that to 6% when you choose to use Boost! No hidden fees, just extra rewards. There's no reason not to use Kudos.

Once you download Kudos on your browser (Google Chrome, Safari, Microsoft Edge) or iPhone (Apple App Store), the Boost option will automatically come up when you shop at participating stores. You'll see an 'Activate Boost' button when you click on the Kudos icon. That indicates Kudos is going to match any rewards you get at checkout.

After you're done loading up your cart, the checkout page will ask you to link an existing card from your Kudos wallet (or add a new one). You do need to register your card information with Kudos to use the boost— just so they can make sure they're doubling the right rewards.

Even if your card doesn’t earn rewards itself, you can still earn rewards through Kudos Boost. Hit that Boost button and enjoy the free money!

Discover New Cards with Kudos Explore Tool

It's tough looking for a new credit card. They all sound good on the surface, but it can be difficult to understand the specific benefits each card offers and what the eligibility requirements are.

Let Kudos help you out with the Explore Tool. By partnering with The Points Guy, Kudos allows you to find exclusive card offers you might not be able to find anywhere else. The Explore Tool also compares the benefits of different cards to help you make the best decision.

One Kudos user, Christina L., earned a staggering 150,000 membership rewards points after spending $6,000 with The Platinum Card® from American Express within three months of account opening.

Let's compare that to the welcome bonus found on the American Express website. Their offer allows users to earn 80,000 points when they spend $8,000— still a good deal, but for Christina L., the elevated credit card offer found on Kudos was significantly better.

Different cards might be optimal for different people. Use the Kudos Explore Tool to easily navigate the credit card landscape and find the best card for you. It gets even better when you pair this with the Kudos Dream Wallet tool— we'll get to that now!

Earn More with Kudos’ Dream Wallet

Dream Wallet is an easy way to find the perfect cards for you. This is a great option if you're looking for a new card or just want to make sure you're maximizing your online shopping experience.

You could head over to YouTube and watch a long (and boring) video on the best credit cards of the year... Or you could just use Kudos’ Dream Wallet, which takes into account your personal rewards preferences and spending habits.

Other credit card recommendations are based on average consumer data. That can give you a decent idea of what cards are good, but to really get the most out of your rewards, you need to choose a card based on what you shop for the most and how you personally spend your money.

There's no point opening a card with great travel rewards if you're not a frequent flier. So let Dream Wallet do the research for you and get ready to meet your credit card soulmate.

How to Use Dream Wallet

1. Open up Kudos and click on the 'Dream Wallet' tab.
2. Choose the 'personalize to me' option.
3. Fill out a short quiz to help Kudos understand what features would be most helpful for you.
4. Take a look at your personalized recommendations, including a breakdown of possible rewards, fees, and other features.
5. Pick a card from the shortlist of optimal cards and start earning rewards.

Meet MariaGPT— Your New AI Finance Assistant

Are you a laptop or smartphone kind of person? I don't know about you, but I'm always on the go, so it's smartphones all the way. The Kudos iPhone app is equipped with an AI assistant to help you make better financial decisions, another reason why some things are just better on mobile.

MariaGPT is available on the iPhone to answer any and all credit-card-related questions. The credit card industry can be pretty confusing (that's why you need Kudos in the first place). But it gets even easier to navigate this chaotic landscape with Maria.

Don't let your bank customer service leave you hanging again. Instead, just ask Maria. When you have a quick question about your credit card benefits, Maria can help. She's programmed with all the information she needs to help you understand how to use your credit card benefits.

Maria can also look at your spending patterns and financial goals to make sure her advice is tailored to your specific situation. This isn't a one-size-fits-all solution! Maria is here to help you.

How to Use MariaGPT

1. MariaGPT is only available on iPhones, so download the free Kudos mobile app to get started.
2. In the app, hit the 'new card' button, then click 'Maria.'
3. A chat window will open where you can ask MariaGPT anything you want about credit cards and how to use them.
4. Have a chill and informative conversation with MariaGPT about credit card rewards.

How Kudos Protects Your Data

If you do choose to share your banking information, rest assured that Kudos takes your privacy very, very seriously.

Kudos will never sell or share your data with any third parties, so you never have to worry about security leaks. Sharing your banking information with Kudos is just as safe as keeping your cards tucked away in your wallet.

The team at Kudos is constantly improving their services. They do this by looking at aggregated and anonymized data. This data is only used internally and won't be shared anywhere else. In addition, it's all kept anonymous, so no one's tracking your search history or online footprint.

Kudos vs. Other Shopping Tools

Compared to Honey and Capital One Shopping, which primarily focus on finding coupons and discounts, Kudos takes a more holistic approach to rewards optimization. It works seamlessly with your existing credit cards, eliminating the need to sign up for separate cashback programs like Rakuten.

Moreover, Kudos offers a unique feature called Kudos Boost, which allows users to earn even more rewards than their standard credit card offers. This sets it apart from competitors like MaxRewards and CardPointers, which may provide similar optimization tools but lack the added benefit of boosted rewards.

While MaxRewards does offer credit card portfolio management features, its automatic rewards activation requires a paid upgrade to MaxRewards Gold. Similarly, CardPointers charges an annual fee of $60 for access to its full suite of features. In contrast, Kudos provides a comprehensive rewards optimization solution without any hidden fees or mandatory upgrades.

Frequently Asked Questions About Earning Rewards with Kudos

Is Kudos completely free?

Yep! All of Kudos' services— card recommendations, AI support, and more— are totally free. There are no hidden fees or in-app purchases. Kudos is committed to demystifying the credit card industry for users.

If Kudos is free, how do they make money?

You're not the one paying for all the hard work the Kudos team does. Don't worry. Kudos earns a small commission anytime users make a purchase at one of their participating merchants. They make money by incentivizing users to purchase from certain stores and making it easier for you to earn rewards— so everyone wins.

What if I don't want to share my credit card information with Kudos?

That's completely fine. You do not need to provide any sensitive information to use any of these services. Kudos will still recommend the best card for checkout whether or not you provide your banking information.

The only feature that requires credit card information is the autofill feature, which remembers your card information for a speedy checkout. If you do choose to use this feature, it's completely safe and secure to share your bank details with Kudos.

Can I still use my other browser extensions with Kudos?

Using other rewards extensions like Honey and Rakuten may affect Kudos' affiliate commission earnings, as well as the rewards boosts you get from using Kudos. To make sure you're getting the best rewards when you shop, make sure Kudos is the only active extension during your shopping sprees.

Is it safe to share banking information with Kudos?

Keeping your information top secret is a top priority at Kudos. It's completely safe to share your credit card number and details with Kudos— it will only be used if you want to autofill your info at checkout to streamline your shopping experience.

Kudos employs bank security protocols like 256-bit encryption to make sure your data is always secure. No information will ever be sold or shared with third parties. Sleep like a baby knowing you're in good hands and making free money with Kudos.

Is there a Kudos promo code?

Yes! Sign up for Kudos with our promo code “BOLD” to earn $20 back after your first eligible Boost purchase.