Frequently Asked Questions

The Extension

Kiwii Match
Kiwii Boost

General Info
Behind the Scenes

The Kiwii Extension

What does the Kiwii extension do?
Two things. At checkout it tells you which of your credit cards earns the most at that specific store, including cards you do not carry yet. And before you shop, it flags loyalty program and shopping portal offers that need to be activated in advance.
How do I pin Kiwii to the Chrome toolbar?

Click the puzzle icon in the upper right of the Chrome toolbar. In the dropdown menu, click on the thumbtack icon next to the Kiwii extension. When the thumbtack is blue, Kiwii is pinned to your browser.

How do I pin Kiwii to the Safari toolbar?

Click the Safari menu and select Settings. Select the Extensions tab. Check the Kiwii extension to add to Safari.

How do I pin Kiwii to the Firefox toolbar?

Click the puzzle icon in the upper right of the Firefox toolbar. In the dropdown menu, click the gear icon next to the Kiwii extension. Select Pin to Toolbar.

How do I pin Kiwii to the Opera toolbar?

Click the cube icon in the upper right of the Opera toolbar. In the dropdown menu, click on the thumbtack icon next to the Kiwii extension. When the thumbtack is blue, Kiwii is pinned to your browser.

How do I pin Kiwii to the Edge toolbar?

Click the puzzle icon in the upper right of the Edge toolbar. In the dropdown menu, click on the three dots next to the Kiwii extension. Select Show in Toolbar.

Does Kiwii work on Android devices?

The default internet browser on Android devices does not support extensions. We’re sad about this, too! However, there is a browser for Android devices that does support extensions. It’s called Kiwi — no relation. You’re welcome to give Kiwii on Kiwi a try, or stick to shopping with Kiwii on your computer.

How do I add a new card to Kiwii?
Open the Kiwii extension. Click Wallet and then “Add a Card.”
What if I don't see my card on Kiwii's list?

We’re constantly updating our portfolio of credit cards to support the community and demand. If your card isn’t currently on our list and you’d like to see it added, shoot us an email at support@addkiwii.com.

Why does Kiwii sometimes give an alert on the homepage instead of at checkout?

Credit cards aren’t the only way to earn rewards. Loyalty program shopping portals are an awesome way to earn extra rewards on top of what your credit cards already earn. These offers need to be activated before you shop, so Kiwii pops up to let you know as soon as you get to a site that has a portal deal. Learn more about shopping portals on our blog here.

Does Kiwii work on iPhone?
Yes, two ways. The Kiwii Safari extension works on iOS as well as desktop. There is also a Kiwii app, and the extension is included in the app download. It just needs to be turned on after you install: open Settings, go to Safari, then Extensions, and switch Kiwii on.

Kiwii Match

What is Kiwii Match?
Match answers the question “which credit cards should I actually have?” It compares your spending against every card in our database and tells you what you would really earn. Quick Match shows earnings before annual fees, with the fee displayed next to each card. Deep Match shows results net of annual fees, because it sees your full spending picture.

The extension answers a different question: “which card should I use right now, at this store?” Match is the one-time decision. The extension is the ongoing one.

What is the difference between Quick Match and Deep Match?
Quick Match asks you to estimate roughly where you spend, by store or by category. It takes a few minutes and requires nothing but your own estimates.

Deep Match reads your actual card statements. You can upload one month or a full year, across as many issuers as you like, and it works from the real transactions rather than estimates.

Deep Match is more precise because it sees your real merchants. Quick Match is faster because it does not need anything from your bank.

Do I need an account?
No. Match requires no signup and no credit card information. You can run it and see your results without giving us anything.
What are the three answers Match gives me?
Add: the single best card to add to the wallet you already carry.

Replace: the one card that could stand in for your current cards, if you would rather carry less.

Combination: the best set of cards to carry together, given how your spending splits across categories.

They answer different questions, and the best card in one view is often not the best in another.

Does Match subtract annual fees?
Deep Match shows results net of annual fees, because it sees your full spending and can do that honestly.

Quick Match shows earnings before annual fees, with the fee displayed next to each card. That is deliberate: Quick Match only knows the spending you told us about, so subtracting a fee from a partial picture would produce its own kind of wrong answer. If you would rather not see cards with fees at all, the preferences panel lets you filter by fee tolerance.

Does Match tell me if I will be approved?
No. Match tells you which cards fit your spending, not whether an issuer will approve you. Approval depends on your credit profile, which we do not see and do not ask for.
Is Match free?
Yes, and there is no paid version.

Kiwii Boost

What is Kiwii Boost?
Boost is a research tool for loyalty program shopping portals. Airlines, hotels, and other programs run portals that pay bonus rewards on top of whatever your credit card earns, and the rates change constantly.

Boost lets you check where and when to buy something to catch the best available portal bonus. It is a research tool you visit deliberately, where the extension is the version that finds these for you while you shop.

What is the Point Value Index?
A single place to see what each loyalty currency is actually worth in cents per point. It is the same set of valuations Match uses to compare a points card against a cash back card, published so you can see the numbers rather than take our word for them. See the current values at boost.addkiwii.com/point-values.

General Info

How does Kiwii make money?

We can earn a commission when someone opens a credit card through a link on our site. We also earn a share of cashback when someone shops through a loyalty portal we surface in the extension or in Boost.

There is no subscription, no paid tier, and nothing you pay us.

Does that affect what Kiwii recommends?
No, and this is the part worth understanding.

Kiwii Match scores cards on two inputs: your spending, and the card’s published terms. Earning rates, spending caps, cap periods, post-cap fallback rates, statement credits, annual fees, and point valuations.

Commission is not one of the inputs. It is not a tiebreaker, not a weight, and not a filter.

The practical consequence is that we regularly recommend cards that pay us nothing, including cards from issuers we have no relationship with at all, because the math says they are the right answer for that person’s numbers.

The fiduciary standard, applied to card recommendations
A fiduciary is obligated to put the client’s interest ahead of their own compensation. That principle has never really been applied to credit card recommendations, because the entire category is funded by the thing being recommended.

Kiwii is built to that standard. The answer you get is the answer your numbers produce, not the answer that pays us most. That is why an advisor can share it with a client without a conflicts conversation, and why we can tell you exactly how we make money without it changing what we recommend.

How do I check that any of this is true?
Run your own numbers and look at what comes back. If a card we earn nothing on is the right answer for your spending, it will be at the top.

Our card data is compiled from issuer terms and conditions and rate documents. We will pull the exact terms behind any recommendation if you ask: support@addkiwii.com

Do I have to give my credit card information to use Kiwii?
No. Match and the extension only need to know which cards you carry, not the card numbers. Kiwii does not collect any private financial information. We never ask for a card number, CVV, or account credentials.
What happens to a statement I upload to Deep Match?
Your statement is never uploaded. Deep Match reads and parses the statement entirely in your browser, on your device. The PDF itself never reaches our servers.

The only thing that leaves your browser is a list of merchant names, so we can categorize any merchant we have not seen before. No amounts, no dates, no account numbers, no balances, and no personal details are sent or stored.

If you want to verify this yourself, open your browser’s network inspector while you run Deep Match and watch what goes out. The statement stays on your device.

Does Kiwii sell my data?
No. We do not sell your data, and we do not share it with advertisers or data brokers.
What's the difference between Points, Miles and Value?
Points and Miles are the actual rewards you earn on a purchase based on the type of credit card you’re using.

Value indicates the value of those points when redeemed for travel, goods or cash. Since the value of rewards vary across cards and programs, Kiwii uses Value to compare your cards and drive your recommendations.

What's the difference between Kiwii Match, the extension, and Kiwii Boost?
Kiwii Match tells you which credit cards you should have, based on your actual spending.

The Kiwii extension is a tool to help you optimize your online shopping. You’ll get automatic alerts for loyalty programs and shopping portal rewards, plus recommendations at checkout for which of your credit cards is best to use on that site.

Kiwii Boost is a separate research tool on our site focused on loyalty program shopping portals. You can use Boost to research where or when to make a purchase based on the available bonus reward opportunities through your loyalty programs.

Behind the Scenes

How does Kiwii know what card to recommend?

Kiwii compares the different earn rates on your credit cards based on that site’s Merchant Category Code or “MCC.” These codes are how your credit card company determines what sites count as “Grocery,” “Home Improvement,” etc. Each card may have special bonuses for certain categories and Kiwii takes all of this into account to make sure you’re getting the maximum rewards on your purchase.

How does Kiwii calculate the value of a points or miles card?

Kiwii looks at the rewards you’ll earn versus the value of those rewards. Value is how we can compare different types of credit cards on an apples-to-apples basis. There are all kinds of ways to redeem your points or miles (some more efficient than others), and Kiwii assumes that you’ll redeem your points or miles with the best redemption method available for your cards.

Where does the card data come from?
Issuer terms and conditions, rate documents, and cardmember agreements. Not from other comparison sites, and not from marketing pages.

We track more than 200 US consumer and business cards. Every earning rate, spending cap, cap period, and post-cap rate is compiled from the issuer’s own documents.

How do you keep it current?
Card terms change constantly and usually without announcement. We monitor issuer documents for changes on an ongoing basis and re-verify against the source when something moves.

If you spot a number that looks wrong, tell us and we will check it against the issuer document: support@addkiwii.com

Have an unanswered question?

Email us at support@addkiwii.com. We value your feedback and questions.

 We strive to be as current as possible on all card and rewards program details, but sometimes a number changes without immediately tripping our data sensors. If you notice something that needs to be updated, send us a note! You’ll receive a Kiwii gratitude point. (Redeemable for good vibes only.)