Alex ScoreMethod v1.0 · Method date 2026-10-06A rating you can take apart.
Alex Score turns explicit inputs into an explainable comparison. This page publishes the rules used by the scoring engine, including the limits of what a number can tell you.
What Alex Score means
Alex Score is a 0–100 educational index of modeled value and fit under the entered assumptions. It rates a scenario, not the overall quality of a lender, issuer, bank or person. Different inputs, targets, horizons or comparison sets can produce different scores for the same offer.
These formulas and weights are MyFriendAlex’s original, deterministic heuristics. They have not been empirically validated as predictors of financial outcomes, borrower approval, creditworthiness or product safety. A score of 90 is not a 90% chance of success.
Overall score = round(sum of unrounded component points), after any stated cap.
Clamp keeps a component between 0 and 100. All weights in each category sum to 100.
0–49: weak modeled fit. When a stated payment, upfront-cost or admin-time limit is exceeded, the label becomes Outside your limits and the maximum displayed score is 49. Missing or unsupported inputs produce no score and a list of what is needed. Equal modeled dollars are explicitly treated as a tie; scores are not tie-breakers for qualitative factors.
Compare scores within one category using consistent assumptions. Always inspect the dollar figures: small score differences can accompany substantial costs. A strong score against an easy target does not establish that an offer is competitive in the wider market.
Mortgage score: the same loan need, two quotes
Version 1 supports exactly two fixed-rate, fully amortizing loans with the same principal. Loan terms may differ. Enter a shared holding period, a monthly principal-and-interest plus PMI limit, and an upfront loan-cost limit. The comparison does not assess underwriting or total home affordability.
First calculate borrowing cost
P = shared principal; r = annual rate ÷ 1,200; n = loan term in months.
Holding months = round(entered years × 12).
Borrowing cost = amortized interest + constant monthly PMI over the modeled loan months + upfront loan costs − lender credits.
The engine steps through monthly amortization. Principal repayment is shown as a balance reduction, not charged again as borrowing cost. Costs stop at payoff if the loan matures before the horizon. Enter loan costs including points, without also adding points a second time. Excess lender credits are unsupported: if credits exceed the entered loan costs, no score is assigned.
Then award points
25 points — Payment-limit fit: 100 × min(1, your monthly P&I + PMI limit ÷ this quote’s monthly P&I + PMI).
15 points — Upfront-cost fit: 100 × min(1, your upfront loan-cost limit ÷ this quote’s net upfront loan costs). Zero net costs receive 100.
Exceeding either monetary limit by more than half a cent caps the overall score at 49. The limits must be explicitly entered; an upfront-cost limit of 0 is valid. Different loan terms also change monthly principal repayment and cash flow, which you should review alongside borrowing cost.
Excluded: down payment, property taxes, homeowners insurance, HOA, escrows, maintenance, tax effects, investment opportunity cost, refinancing, extra payments, balloon payments, prepayment penalties, lender service and closing reliability. ARMs and non-amortizing loans are unsupported. PMI remains constant in the model; it does not infer cancellation.
The lower-cost quote receives full cost-component points relative to the other entered quote. Both quotes could still be expensive compared with the market. Compare matching quote dates and equivalent terms before acting.
Credit-card score: recurring value after costs
Enter estimated annual rewards value, annual perks you would actually use, annual card and incremental membership fees, estimated annual interest, and a shared positive annual net-value target. The target is your chosen comparison threshold, not an MFA promise or market benchmark.
Net annual value = gross value − annual fees − estimated annual interest.
80 points — Net value vs target: component value = clamp(100 × net annual value ÷ your target, 0, 100).
20 points — Value retained after fees: component value = 100 × max(0, gross value − annual fees) ÷ gross value. If gross value is 0, use 0.
No positive net annual value means an overall score of 0, including the fee-efficiency component. Negative modeled dollars remain visible; they are not replaced by a $0 net-value claim. The fee-efficiency component measures the share of benefits retained after fees, before interest. Interest affects the net-value component and the nonpositive-value gate.
Entering 0 interest assumes no interest cost. If you carry balances, use a realistic annual interest estimate or the payoff calculator. A card comparison handoff deliberately leaves interest blank until you supply it. MFA does not infer it from your rewards spending.
Excluded: welcome bonuses, approval odds, credit-score impact, unvalued protections, changing point prices, category caps unless already included in the entered rewards estimate, redemption effort and merchant coding. Variable point values are assumptions, not guaranteed cash. Usable perks should reflect value you would obtain without unnecessary spending.
Card-comparison handoffs use the existing category-aware rewards model, selected point assumptions, entered usable perks and incremental fee calculation. Alex Score does not replace that calculation or change the existing card ranking.
Bank-bonus score: net dollars, liquidity and effort
Version 1 covers cash bank bonuses only. Enter the cash bonus, all fees over the period, other incremental costs, cash tied up, discretionary cash after emergency reserves, holding days, offer and alternative APYs, admin hours, your acceptable hours and a positive net bonus target.
Net bonus before tax = cash bonus − fees − other incremental costs − foregone interest.
APYs are held constant. This uses the difference in modeled compound yields over the entered period. Higher offer yield does not increase the bonus figure; foregone interest simply stops at 0. Money is assumed tied up for the whole entered period. Holding periods and fees are not inferred from incomplete marketing text.
20 points — Discretionary-cash headroom: 100 × (1 − cash tied up ÷ discretionary cash). No tied-up cash receives 100.
10 points — Admin-time fit: 100 × min(1, acceptable admin hours ÷ estimated admin hours). Zero estimated hours receive 100.
Gates: no score if eligibility is unconfirmed or not met, or if required cash exceeds available discretionary cash. Selecting Yes is your assertion that the offer is current and geography, direct-deposit cadence, new-customer conditions and other requirements are met. No positive net bonus means an overall score of 0. Admin hours above your limit cap a positive-value score at 49.
Excluded: taxes, effort valued in dollars, offer payout risk, deposit insurance analysis, approval, clawback probability, changing rates and card welcome bonuses. Confirm actual terms and any account-open duration, post-payout holding requirement or fee waiver with the institution.
Data confidence is separate from the rating
Low: sample figures, unreviewed edits, linked inputs, or restored browser scenarios. An edited scenario can still contain unchanged sample values. Missing required numbers stay missing rather than becoming zero.
Medium: you explicitly mark the inputs and current terms reviewed. This is a self-reported check. MFA has not independently validated the document, issuer terms or your eligibility. Editing any input removes the review marker; reopening a browser-saved scenario also requires another review.
Version 1 does not assign a High confidence label. Complete mathematical inputs do not prove reliable source data. Calculation and snapshot dates are never presented as source-verification dates.
Versioning, independence and saved results
Version 1.0 · 2026-10-06: initial release of the mortgage, recurring-card and cash-bank-bonus models above. No machine learning, popularity data, institution names, affiliate compensation or sponsorship affects the score.
Formula, weighting, gate or label changes require a new scoring version and updated methodology. Saved score reports and Decision Lab captures retain the version and their calculated snapshot. Reopening the tool applies the current method to the current or browser-saved inputs; it does not silently rewrite an old saved score.
Inputs calculate in your browser. Browser scenario saving is explicit and can be removed with Forget saved scenario. Downloaded reports include entered numbers. Keep in Decision Lab queues a snapshot for you to attach and save; it does not automatically publish or create a public share link. These numbers are not appended to the page URL during editing.
Alex Score does not alter the existing quarterly readiness or credit-card reward models. Readiness, decision-completeness and other categories have no Alex Score in version 1.
Primary educational references
These sources inform what costs and trade-offs to inspect. The agencies do not endorse Alex Score, its weights, bands or formulas.
Educational estimates only. Results depend on what you enter. Use current offer documents and professional advice where appropriate before making a financial commitment.