Method and system for optimizing the usefulness of a credit and debit card portfolio

An apparatus for providing the service, in an environment of networked computing devices which include a service-providing server, of advising a portfolio credit card holder and service user on how to, when making a proposed purchase, maximize the financial benefits to said portfolio credit card holder that accrue from optimally taking advantage of the temporarily varying deals and incentives offered by the various providers of credit cards, and wherein each of said card providers makes available information on said network regarding the financial aspects of each of said offered deals and incentives of said credit card providers, said apparatus comprising:

• a server on said network that includes a processor, software and memory,
• wherein said software configured to collect and store information from each of said card providers regarding each of the credit cards which each of said card providers is currently making available in the marketplace and the general user qualifications guidelines for each of said credit cards,
• wherein said software further configured to collect and store information from each of said card providers regarding their currently offered, temporarily varying, specific deals and incentives that are associated with each of said credit cards,
• wherein said software further configured to register a portfolio credit card holder to be a user of said service, including collecting and storing information that uniquely identifies said user and each of the various credit cards in the portfolio of said user,
• wherein said software further configured to collect and store information from said user pertaining to said proposed purchase for which said service advice is desired,
• wherein said software further configured to analyze, using information on:
• (a) said proposed purchase of said user, (b) said identifying information on each of the various credit cards in the portfolio of said user, and (c) the temporarily varying deals and incentives applicable to each of the various credit cards in the portfolio of said user, to determine the currently available, comparative financial benefits that would accrue to said user from at this time making said proposed purchase with each of said credit cards in said portfolio of said user, and
• wherein said software further configured to communicate said comparative-financial-benefits analysis results pertaining to said proposed purchase to said user.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause a networked server to provide a credit card service that includes maximizing the financial benefits that accrue, to a service user on said network, on the next credit card purchase of said service user from optimally taking advantage of the temporarily varying deals and incentives offered by the various credit card providers, said instructions on said medium comprising the steps of enabling said server to:

• collect and store information from each of said card providers regarding each of the credit cards which each of said card providers is currently making available in the marketplace and the general user qualifications guidelines for each of said credit cards,
• collect and store information from each of said card providers regarding their currently offered, temporarily varying, specific deals and incentives that are associated with each of said credit cards,
• register a portfolio credit card holder to be a user of said service, including collecting and storing information that uniquely identifies said user and each of the various credit cards in the portfolio of said user,
• collect and store information from said user pertaining to said proposed purchase for which said service advice is desired,
• analyze, using information on:
• (a) said proposed purchase of said user, (b) said identifying information on each of the various credit cards in the portfolio of said user, and (c) the temporarily varying deals and incentives applicable to each of the various credit cards in the portfolio of said user, to determine the currently available, comparative financial benefits that would accrue to said user from at this time making said proposed purchase with each of said credit cards in said portfolio of said user, and
• communicate said comparative-financial-benefits analysis results pertaining to said proposed purchase to said user.