Frequently Asked Questions

Is BalanceBuddy free?

Yes. The payment planner, dashboard, benefits tracker, and the rewards tools are free to use. The site is supported by ads. The Points Simulator and Transfer Partners comparison work without even creating an account.

Do I have to connect a bank account?

No. Connecting a bank through Plaid is optional — it just keeps balances and amounts due up to date automatically. You can add every card manually and use the planner without linking anything.

How does the payment plan work?

You enter your income and pay schedule (weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, or monthly) and your cards' balances and due dates. BalanceBuddy then works through your cards in three passes: anything due before your next paycheck is covered in full first, then closed statements and active installment plans, and whatever is left is spread across the remaining cards in proportion to what they carry. The result is a per-paycheck plan that clears each statement before its due date without overcommitting any one paycheck.

It also shows which bank account each payment should come from, and you can pin a card to a specific account if you'd rather decide that yourself.

What is a passkey, and why no password?

A passkey signs you in with your device's fingerprint, face, or PIN instead of a password (the WebAuthn standard). There's nothing to type, reuse, phish, or leak in a breach. Keep your device secure, since it's what unlocks your account.

Is my financial data safe?

Your bank credentials go directly to Plaid through their hosted Link flow — BalanceBuddy never sees them. The access tokens we store are encrypted at rest with AES-256-GCM, and so are the financial figures and identity fields on your account. Traffic is HTTPS-only with HSTS, and sessions use CSRF protection, sign you out after two hours of inactivity, and expire outright after 30 days. We never sell or share your account data. Full details are in the Privacy Policy.

Which banks and cards are supported?

Bank sync uses Plaid, which connects to thousands of U.S. banks and credit-card issuers. For cards Plaid doesn't return full details on, you can always add and edit them manually — including the balance, due date, and statement closing day.

What rewards tools are included?

All of them live on one screen, Rewards:

• Best card — which of your cards earns most in a category, ranked by what the points are actually worth, not just the multiplier.
• Points Simulator — how many points each card would earn on your real spending.
• Card ROI — whether each annual fee pays for itself, given the credits you actually use.
• Signup bonuses — current welcome offers, soonest to expire first.
• Benefits — the credits and perks on your cards, and what's about to expire.
• Transfer partners — 2026 transfer ratios from Bilt, Chase, Capital One, Citi, and Amex to dozens of airline and hotel programs.
• Award pricer — what a real award flight costs in points across the major programs.
• Transfer bonuses — live transfer promotions across your programs.
• Points balances and trips — what you're sitting on, what it's worth, and award space for the trips you're planning.

The linked guides work without an account. The ones that read your own cards and balances need you to be signed in.

Is this financial advice?

No. BalanceBuddy is a planning tool. Its calculations are estimates based on the data you and your banks provide and on publicly documented rewards programs. Verify amounts with your bank and card issuer before paying. See the Terms of Use.

How do I delete my account and data?

Go to Settings → Delete account in the app. Your linked banks are disconnected immediately and all data is permanently erased after a 7-day grace period — signing in again within those 7 days cancels the deletion. You can also export everything we hold about you as JSON from Settings → Your data.

How do I get help?

Email support@balancebuddy.us or read more about BalanceBuddy. Ready to start? Open the app.