First Officer for Contractors

Your Material Runs Are Earning Half What They Should.

General contractors, electricians, and plumbers spend $15K to $80K monthly on materials, fuel, and equipment. Most of that earns 1x. We build a card stack that captures 1.6 to 2.0x on average.

Your numbers

See What You're Leaving Behind

Adjust the sliders to match your monthly business spend. Each category shows which card earns the most and why.

Monthly spend calculator
$15,000
Home supply stores typically code 1x on most bonus cards. 2x on a catch-all card
$4,000
2x on a gas-bonus card or up to 4x on the right business card if gas is a top category
$3,000
Specialty equipment. 2x on a catch-all card
$3,000
Some insurers accept cards with small surcharge
$2,000
3x to 5x. your highest multiplier categories
Total monthly spend$27,000
Without optimization
$0
~1x base points / year
With First Officer
$0
1.6 to 2.0x optimized / year
You're leaving $0 per year in unrealized value
The mistakes

What Contractors Get Wrong

These aren't obvious. Nobody in the contractors industry talks about points optimization. Here's what we see over and over.

01

Buying materials at Home Depot on a debit card or basic Visa

Home Depot Pro, Ferguson, and lumber yards typically code as home improvement or wholesale. which means 1x on most bonus credit cards. But the right catch-all card earns 2 points per dollar on everything. On $15K/month in materials, that's the difference between zero bonus points and 360,000 points per year.

The math

$15K/month materials on the right card at 2x = 360,000 pts/year vs 180,000 at 1x on a basic card.

02

Fueling your trucks on whichever card is in your wallet

Fleet fuel is one of the few contractor expenses that actually hits a bonus category. The right cards earn 2x to 4x at gas stations depending on your spend profile. With 3 to 5 trucks burning through $4K/month in fuel, the right card triples your return on that spend.

The math

$4K/month fuel at 4x on the right business card = 192,000 pts/year. At 1x = 48,000. Triple the value.

03

Not separating advertising spend onto a bonus card

Even small contractors run Google Ads or HomeAdvisor leads. These advertising purchases earn 3x to 4x on the right business card. Most contractors put it all on one card. Splitting $2K/month in ads to the right card earns an extra 48,000 to 72,000 points per year.

The math

$2K/month ads at 3x Ink = 72,000 pts/year. Same spend on a 1x card = 24,000.

04

Never applying for business cards because you didn't know they existed separately

Most contractors use personal cards for business. Business credit cards have their own application rules, higher limits, and don't always count against your personal credit utilization. Plus, signup bonuses on business cards can net $3,000 to $5,000 in the first year alone.

The math

Two business cards in year one = 170K+ bonus points = $3,000+ in travel value.

How it works

Your vendors. Our routing.

Every vendor sends a merchant category code (MCC) when you swipe. That code determines your multiplier. The same $5,000 payment earns 5,000 points on the wrong card or 20,000 on the right one. We match every vendor to its highest-earning card.

MCC
Vendor Code Analysis

We've mapped how your vendors code with card networks. Verified, not guessed.

CAP
Spending Cap Tracking

Every bonus category has annual caps. We shift routing before you hit a ceiling and drop to 1x.

CPP
Transfer Partner Math

Earning is half. We route redemptions to partners where points are worth 2x to 5x more than cash.

Your card stack, routing rules, and redemption strategy are built specifically for your vendors and spend. See what yours looks like.

Real math

What This Looks Like for a $27K/Month Contractor

Same spend. Different strategy. Different outcome.

Annual breakdown

Monthly business spend$27,000
Annual spend$324,000
Points earned (unoptimized, ~1x)324,000 pts
Points earned (First Officer, ~1.8x avg)583,200 pts
Signup bonus points (year one)~200,000 pts
Total optimized points (year one)783,200 pts
Value at 1 cent/point (statement credit)$7,832
Value at 2 to 4 cents/point (travel partners)$15,664 to $31,328

Hypothetical example for illustration. Actual results vary based on your specific vendors, card products, and redemption choices. This is not financial advice.

How it works

Four Steps to Full Optimization

No apps to download. No spreadsheets. Just a conversation.

01

Message us

4 questions. Takes 2 minutes.

02

We map everything

Cards, balances, credits, programs.

03

Get your game plan

Card stack, routing rules, bonus calendar.

04

We watch. You win.

Proactive alerts, weekly digests, strategy.

Trusted across industries

The same routing intelligence, applied to 20+ verticals. Different vendors, different MCC codes, same rigorous math.

Restaurants. HVAC. Dental. Salons. Fitness. Landscaping. Veterinary. IT. Consulting. Cleaning. Property Management. Auto Repair. And yours.

20-Minute Spend Audit. Free.

Message us. We'll tell you exactly what your contractor business is leaving on the table.

💬 Start on WhatsApp