Can the Wallaby Credit Card Maximize All Cash Back Rewards?
There’s a new company in town, Wallaby, planning to deliver on something all credit card rewards junkies will love: one credit card that can maximize your credit card earning cash back!
No more rotating our credit cards every quarter! We can carry one card and know that we’re earning the most cash back on every purchase.
I love the idea… but will it work?
Wallaby
Wallaby launched their beta program last week. They claim “The Wallaby Card is one card to rule them all. Carry just one card and maximize cash back rebates, merchant discounts, frequent traveler rewards.”
So far, it sounds like they’re going to cover everything I wanted on My Google Wallet Wishlist!
How Does Wallaby Work?
You’ll set up a Wallaby profile that includes your credit card numbers (yes, you’ll have to give them your info… which I know will make some readers run fast!) and let them know what are your favorite types of rewards to earn and they’ll optimize your purchases. You can change your preferences anytime via their site or mobile app. There is both an automatic mode and the ability to set percentages to certain cards.
Wallaby will send you a new physical “Wallaby Card” to use. Then, they promise to maximize your rewards. Here’s more from their FAQ:
Wallaby keeps track of all of the different rewards offers for each of the credit cards you own, including limited-time and one-time discounts. We know that one credit card has 5% cash back on gas stations this month, while another has triple points on restaurants. We also know your credit line limits and cash back maximums. Wallaby automatically picks the right card for you–every time you swipe.
Each time you swipe your Wallaby Card, we look at where you are, what day it is, what cards are in your wallet, what your preferences are and what special deals are available. We then determine the best card for you for this purchase and forward the transaction to that card.
I’m also following the Wallaby story at TechCrunch where Matthew Goldman, one of the people behind Wallaby, is answering lots of detailed questions in the comments.
How to Sign Up
Wallaby is currently taking sign ups for their beta program. You can sign up at Walla.by. To sign up, all you need to provide is your name, email, how many cards are in your wallet, and your favorite card.
Once you sign up, they’ll notify you when they’re ready to let you in on the program. I figured we might as well throw our names in early to check it out!
How Much will it Cost?
Wallaby says the first 1,000 people to sign up will receive lifetime free memberships and the next 5,000 will receive 12 months free. Everyone else will get a free six months. Once the free period is over, it’s $50 per year.
Will it Work?
As with many new companies in beta, some survive, some don’t (remember Envaulted?) but I’m always happy to try it out to report back. I signed up immediately, but haven’t heard anything yet. Wallaby says that after you sign up if you share your excitement, they’ll move you up the list. So of course, I immediately got busy signing up all my family members!
I can’t wait to try it out to see if it can coordinate not only the regular cash back and 5% rotations, but can it also coordinate diverting purchases to Maximize Sign Up Bonuses, keep track of tiers, remember all of the holiday promotions, and track different redemption levels too? I hope so!
What do You Think?
Have any of you signed up and received a Wallaby card yet? If so, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Do you think this could be the answer to all of our credit card rewards optimization strategies?
This sounds amazing – almost too good to be true.
How will you know if it works? If you rely on the card to automatically put purchases on the best card will you also be tracking to see if it works? In theory this sounds awesome, but in testing cumbersome?
Hmm, I’d like to see this work as well. Sounds good in theory so let’s hope so. Thanks for the info and keep us posted.
I’ll be interested to see a follow up story once its been tested…
Will this work at retailers where you need to use the retailer’s card to get a discount at time of purchase? (e.g. Target and Kohl’s)
My simple analysis says that @ $50 annual fee, you’d have to currently be missing out on $50 of rewards to break even. Not worth it.