Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using OptimalCardSetup ("the Service"), operated by Fortesen LLC ("Company", "we", "us", "our"), available at optimalcardsetup.com, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use the Service. You must be at least 18 years old to create an account.

2. Description of Service

OptimalCardSetup is a credit card setup analysis tool that uses a mathematical optimization engine (Google OR-Tools) to model combinations of credit cards based on your self-reported monthly spending. You provide spending category estimates, and the solver returns a modeled setup plus proof status. A result is proven optimal only within the selected catalog, objective, spending assumptions, redemption values, constraints, and data snapshot used for that run. A timed-out result means optimality was not proven.

3. Account Terms

To use certain features of the Service, you must create an account with an email address and password or by signing in through Google or Microsoft. New account creation requires a conspicuous, affirmative acknowledgment of the current Terms of Serviceand Privacy Policy. We record the acknowledged policy version, time, authentication method, and limited request metadata. Existing sign-in is not conditioned on a new acknowledgment. You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account and must not use another person's account without permission.

4. Free and Premium Tiers

OptimalCardSetup offers a free tier and a Premium tier. The free tier includes the core optimizer with up to 2 cards and a result with proof status. Premium ($9/month or $79/year) unlocks additional features including up to 10 cards, alternative setups, what-if analysis, and custom credit valuations. Both tiers are subject to fair-use limits, including hourly request limits and a monthly cap on Premium optimization runs, enforced to keep the Service responsive for everyone; requests beyond a limit are declined until the limit resets. Feature availability may change over time, and we will notify users of material changes.

5. Payment and Billing

Premium subscriptions are billed through Stripe on a recurring basis, either monthly ($9/month) or annually ($79/year, charged once per year in advance). Taxes may apply. By subscribing, you authorize us to charge your payment method on a recurring basis for the billing interval you select until you cancel. You may cancel online through Account settings and the Stripe billing portal. Upon cancellation, you retain Premium access until the end of the current paid period. Except where required by applicable law, subscriptions are non-refundable: canceling stops future renewals rather than refunding charges already made, and no refunds are provided for unused or partial billing periods. If you are billed in error, such as by a duplicate charge, contact [email protected] and we will review and correct the error. Plan-change terms are shown by Stripe; we do not promise proration.

6. Intellectual Property and Third-Party Marks

The Service, including its optimization algorithms, user interface, and content, is owned by OptimalCardSetup and protected by intellectual property laws. You may not copy, modify, distribute, or reverse-engineer any part of the Service. Your spending data and optimization results are yours; we claim no ownership over the data you provide or the results generated for you.

Card names, logos, and trademarks belong to their respective owners. Their appearance is for identification only and does not imply issuer sponsorship, endorsement, partnership, or affiliation with OptimalCardSetup. Issuer terms, eligibility, approval, and channel-specific offers control any application outcome.

7. Disclaimer - Not Financial Advice

OptimalCardSetup does not provide financial, investment, credit, or legal advice and does not act as a financial advisor, credit counselor, or broker. The Service is a mathematical optimization tool provided for educational and informational purposes only. The Service does not constitute financial, investment, tax, or legal advice and should not be relied upon as a substitute for consultation with qualified professionals.

Results are based on the spending estimates you provide, the selected objective and redemption values, constraints, and publicly available card data in the selected snapshot. We make no representations or warranties regarding the completeness or timeliness of card data. Credit card terms, rewards rates, annual fees, eligibility, channel offers, and approval criteria may change at any time. Always verify current terms directly with the card issuer before applying.

OptimalCardSetup does not guarantee approval for any credit card product, does not evaluate your creditworthiness, and does not make lending decisions. Applying for credit cards may affect your credit score. You are solely responsible for financial decisions you make based on information provided by the Service.

8. Limitation of Liability

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, OptimalCardSetup, its operators, officers, employees, and affiliates shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of profits, data, goodwill, or other intangible losses, resulting from: (a) your use of or inability to use the Service; (b) any card recommendations or optimization results provided by the Service; (c) any financial decisions you make based on information from the Service; (d) any changes to credit card terms, rewards, or fees by card issuers; or (e) unauthorized access to or alteration of your data.

Without limiting the foregoing, you specifically acknowledge that OptimalCardSetup bears no responsibility for any credit card application outcomes, credit score changes, annual fees incurred, or rewards not received. Our total aggregate liability for any and all claims arising from or related to the Service shall not exceed the lesser of (i) the amount you paid us in the 12 months preceding the claim, or (ii) one hundred dollars ($100).

9. Affiliate Links

The Service may contain affiliate links to credit card applications. We may earn compensation under an applicable affiliate program. Commissions are not inputs to the solver or its ranking objective. The modeled result uses the selected catalog, assumptions, constraints, and snapshot; issuer terms, eligibility, approval, and channel-specific offers control applications. For more details, see our Affiliate Disclosure.

10. User Conduct

You agree not to: (a) use the Service for any unlawful purpose; (b) attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Service or its systems; (c) interfere with or disrupt the Service or servers; (d) scrape, crawl, or use automated means to access the Service without permission; (e) impersonate another person or entity; or (f) use the Service in any manner that could damage, disable, or impair the Service.

11. Termination and Account Deletion

We may suspend or terminate your account at any time for violation of these Terms, with or without notice. You may request deletion through Account settings after resolving or canceling active billing. Self-service deletion removes the local account, saved scenarios, custom cards, application entries, jobs, digest settings, and referral records; feedback may be retained in anonymized form. Versioned policy-consent records, provider or billing records, security or legal records, and backup copies may remain for their applicable retention period. Deleting the account does not cancel Stripe billing. Upon termination, your right to use the Service ceases immediately. Any provisions of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination will remain in effect.

12. Changes to Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and, where a fresh acknowledgment is required, identify the new version at the relevant signup or purchase boundary. Your continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms. We encourage you to review these Terms periodically.

13. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Iowa, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

Binding Arbitration: Any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service shall be resolved by binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association ("AAA") under its Consumer Arbitration Rules. The arbitration shall be conducted in English, and the arbitrator's decision shall be final and binding. Judgment on the award may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction.

Class Action Waiver: You agree that any arbitration or proceeding shall be limited to the dispute between us individually. To the fullest extent permitted by law: (a) no arbitration shall be joined with any other proceeding; (b) there is no right or authority for any dispute to be arbitrated on a class-action basis; and (c) there is no right or authority for any dispute to be brought in a purported representative capacity on behalf of the general public or any other persons.

Exceptions: Notwithstanding the above, either party may seek injunctive or other equitable relief in any court of competent jurisdiction to prevent the actual or threatened infringement of intellectual property rights. Small claims court actions that qualify are also exempt from arbitration.

14. Contact and Accessibility

If you have questions about these Terms or encounter an accessibility barrier, contact us at [email protected] with "Accessibility" in the subject if applicable. We welcome reports and do not represent that the site conforms to any particular accessibility standard.