5 Things to Know About NerdWallet+

NerdWallet+ is a paid membership that offers rewards for healthy financial behaviors, like improving your credit or keeping an eye on your budget, and also for shopping for select financial products.

Depending on your financial plans — such as whether you want to add another credit card to your wallet — you can earn and redeem rewards worth up to $350, which more than offsets the $49 annual membership fee.

This article explains the program and answers frequently asked questions so you can decide whether it’s right for you. To avoid conflicts of interest, NerdWallet’s editorial team won’t review this product or include it in any comparisons of personal finance rewards programs.

Becoming a registered user of NerdWallet is free and gives you a dashboard displaying your finances. You can get a TransUnion credit score and link financial accounts to track cash flow and net worth. There’s also a free app you can download for easy access anytime.

NerdWallet+ is a paid membership you can add on to get deals and exclusive features, and to earn rewards for various actions you take while signed in.

Two things earn rewards: financial activities in your NerdWallet account and shopping for financial products on NerdWallet. For example, actions like checking your 50/30/20 budget on your dashboard display or opening a qualifying account earn varying numbers of points, and 100 points adds up to $1.

Some actions earn points a single time, including getting your credit score from TransUnion (300 points) and linking a financial account (125 points). Others can be earned more than once, for example categorizing your spending (50 points per month) or moving up to a higher credit score band (100 points).

If you’re already a registered NerdWallet user at the free level, you’ll be credited points for previous actions you’ve taken, like linking accounts, upon joining NerdWallet+.

Up to three times a year, you can earn up to $100 in points by using NerdWallet to open an eligible credit card. To earn points, you need to:

• Be logged in to your account when applying. 

• Select a NerdWallet+ eligible card — they’re labeled with an “N+” logo on the website and are listed here. 

• Activate the card and link it to your account to earn 1,000 points. Pay at least the minimum due on your first bill by the due date to get 9,000 more points. 

Or, use NerdWallet to open an eligible bank account account for $100 in points:

• Shop and apply while logged in.

• Confirm it’s a NerdWallet+ eligible account.

• Link the new account to your NerdWallet account within seven days and make a direct deposit to it within 45 days.  

Registered NerdWallet members who already opened an eligible credit card or bank account can join NerdWallet+ within seven days of approval to get rewards points retroactively.

You’ll need to accumulate at least $25 (2,500 points) before you can redeem points. Payment is your choice of a Visa cash gift card or a merchant gift card such as Amazon or DoorDash, delivered by email. Gift cards are available in $25, $50 and $100 increments.

You can earn up to 5,800 points in the first year for activities alone, without shopping for products (see the full list of ways to earn points). That’s enough to get $50 in rewards, keeping in mind the choices are in $25 increments. That offsets your $49 membership.

And if you get an eligible card or account, the $100 reward more than offsets the membership fee. Your rewards portal will show progress on the steps required to get points after approval of a card or bank account.

Not every credit card or bank account you could open via NerdWallet’s site is eligible for rewards. When shopping, look for the “N+” flag on products or consult the FAQs page for a list of eligible products.

Eligible accounts — as with any financial product — are subject to lender approval, and lenders may have requirements about things like credit score, income or employment status.

NerdWallet is working on adding more features and partners to the paid membership level; watch for announcements about new ways to earn points or save money.

Your membership will renew annually on the anniversary of joining, with an email reminder arriving as the renewal payment date nears.

You can cancel at any point by email or going to “Account” and “Subscription” while logged in. Rewards can still be earned and redeemed during the remainder of your paid membership term. However, the $49 is not refundable, and NerdWallet doesn’t offer a tiered pricing system based on hardship or ability to pay. Nor can you suspend your membership for a time to make it last longer than one year.

Rewards don’t expire while you’re an active member; they’ll stay on your account until you have enough to cash out.

Note that canceling does not affect your access to NerdWallet’s free level. You’ll still have access to your dashboard, credit score, etc., as long as you’re a registered user. Also, you do not have to pay for NerdWallet+ to use NerdWallet’s app.