# Birch Finance — user reviews

> 50 indexed App Store user reviews of Birch Finance by Birch Finance, LLC, rated 4.18/5 from 382 ratings.

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/birch-finance/id1159533933/reviews
- App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/birch-finance/id1159533933.md
- Rating breakdown: 5★ 247 · 4★ 52 · 3★ 26 · 2★ 19 · 1★ 38

## What do users think of Birch Finance?

Overall sentiment: negative

**Pros**

- 💡 Innovative rewards tracking and optimization concept
- 👍 User-friendly interface and design
- 📊 Comprehensive spending breakdown by category
- 🎯 Helpful missed rewards identification
- 💰 Potential to save significant money on rewards
- 🔄 Frequent app updates and improvements
- 👥 Responsive customer service (when available)
- 📱 Easy account setup and aggregation

**Cons**

- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezing
- 🔒 Requires sensitive login credentials (security concern)
- ❌ Poor transaction categorization accuracy
- 📉 Incomplete card database and missing cards
- 🚫 Non-existent or unresponsive customer support
- 🔄 Syncing issues and data inconsistencies
- ⚠️ Incorrect rewards calculations and information
- 🐌 Slow app performance and loading times
- 🔴 Incompatibility with iPhone X and iOS 12
- 📱 App won't open or launch on some devices
- 🔀 Double-counting transactions and payments
- ❓ Vague and inaccurate merchant categorization

**Commonly reported bugs**

- App crashes on launch (especially iPhone X, iOS 12)
- Spinning wheel on home screen with no functionality
- App crashes when adding accounts or viewing recommendations
- Login failures with valid credentials
- Syncing stops after short period, requires reinstall
- Double-counting credit card payments as spending
- Incorrect rewards calculations (showing 1x vs 2x)
- Transaction categorization errors (rent as home improvement)
- Missing card support (Discover It, Bank of America Premium)
- Connection issues with certain banks (Amex, Delta Skymiles)
- Hidden accounts still showing as visible
- Wallet not displaying on website

**Most requested features**

- Manual transaction category editing capability
- Real-time card recommendations at point of purchase
- Support for quarterly bonus categories (e.g., Discover)
- Integration with Bank of America Preferred Rewards program
- Ability to exclude certain categories from scoring
- Loyalty rewards tracking (points/miles management)
- Distinction between investment and spending accounts
- Support for more credit card types and issuers
- Better handling of ATM withdrawals and transfers
- Web version parity with mobile app

## Newest reviews (19 of 50)

### 2/5 — Wants your secure info

*2020-06-19, version 2.1.5*

Unable to use the app unless you give your private secure logon info. Not a good idea even if they are ethical bc you have to worry about them getting hacked and losing your info. Guaranteed they won’t be held liable when your info is compromised.

### 3/5 — Credit card types are missing.

*2019-09-22, version 2.1.5*

Would give it more starts but all credit cards are not listed.

### 3/5 — Not considering 5% cash back for chase freedom

*2018-12-28, version 2.1.0*

Most of the time it is accurate. But it recommended using chase freedom unlimited for Costco instead of chase freedom. I guess it did not consider 5% cash back for chase freedom.

### 2/5 — Crashes

*2018-09-10, version 2.0.1*

I liked the app but now it just crashes whenever I open it.

### 3/5 — App not working

*2018-08-04, version 2.0.1*

Not sure if it is just me but the app won’t open. I tried to delete and download again. Won’t work.

**Developer response:** Hi there! We fixed the issue that was causing the app to crash. Please update your app and it should work fine!

### 1/5 — Won’t run on my iPhone X

*2018-08-04, version 2.0.1*

Have tried to install and use this app several times and it simply crashes and exits on my iPhone X.

### 2/5 — Great idea, but crashes constantly

*2018-06-28, version 2.0.1*

This app has so much potential, but it doesn’t work at all. I’ve tried deleting and reinstalling three times, and the app continues to crash every time I open it.

**Developer response:** Hi there! We fixed the issue that was causing the app to crash. Please update your app and it should work fine!

### 3/5 — App crashes on startup

*2018-06-24, version 2.0.1*

App does not even open. iPhone X, latest non-beta iOS.

### 2/5 — Crashing issues

*2018-06-13, version 2.0.1*

App crashes every-time I try to click on the credit card recommendation. Developers please fix.

### 1/5 — Cool app but doesn't open.

*2018-06-08, version 2.0.1*

Crashes every time.

### 2/5 — You have to provide CC login

*2018-06-05, version 2.0.1*

Sorry, I am not providing my credit card details login to this app. I was hoping I could just specify my spending habits myself, mention the rewards I’m most interested in and the app would either recommend new credit cards or recommend which one of my current cards to use for a transaction. 

I understand the developers of the app want to automate it so it scans your purchase history, but others have noted, CC companies don’t always classify your purchases into the right categories. 

The mandatory CC login info is a barrier/risk to use and it’s just not worth it for me. Interesting idea though.

### 1/5 — Cool Concept, But Crashes and Incorrect Info

*2018-05-30, version 2.0.1*

Cool concept, but it keeps crashing. Was working fine last night, but won't even open now. 

Also, info is wrong for my Discover. Claims 2% cash back on everything else, and 2% on utilities. Neither is true. 2% on everything else is only during your first year, when the 1% is doubled. There's no utilities-specific category. 

Finally, even when it was working last night, it repeatedly wouldn't connect to Amex. Other aggregators I've used (eg Mint) have no trouble.

**Developer response:** Hi there! We fixed the issue that was causing the app to crash. Please update your app and it should work fine!

For the Discover calculations, if you have had the card for >1 year, you can change the open date of the card in your settings and it will update the match bonus.

### 1/5 — Crash

*2018-05-26, version 2.0.1*

The app continues to crash. Restarted the phone, still the same issue. 

- developers please fix this!

### 2/5 — rarely syncs

*2018-05-22, version 2.0.1*

i love this app in concept but it rarely syncs with my cards. collects data for a short period of time and then just stops until i delete and reinstall. it’s happened twice so far.

also the app chooses one card over another even when the rewards are the same so i looks like you’re missing rewards when you’re not. therefore your score is. or truly reflective of your behavior.

### 2/5 — Crashes on opening

*2018-05-18, version 2.0.1*

I like the idea and I started with the web version. But the app on iPhone crashes on opening.

### 2/5 — Soooooooo slow

*2018-05-16, version 2.0.1*

The only feature I use on this app is seeing which card to use when I’m at a store or restaurant. It’s so incredibly slow to start up, login, and find my location that I’ve already paid with the wrong card by the time it tells me which card to pay with. Super frustrating.

**Developer response:** Sorry to hear the app is loading slowly for you. Could you share more details to team@birchfinance.com?

### 1/5 — App has glitch

*2018-04-27, version 1.99.1*

Every time I try to view my recommended credit cards to app closed.

### 4/5 — Almost a perfect finance app

*2018-03-09, version 1.99*

Suggestions 

1) Currently, my Roth IRA money is shown as available total cash. This is not true. You must separate investment money from my checking and savings accounts. 
2) When I use my debit card to withdraw money from an ATM, this app says I missed cashback because I used the wrong card. 

I changed the Category to withdrawal, but the Category Rewards can’t be updated. Please allow us to change category rewards.

**Developer response:** Hi there!

For the first issue, could you share more details in the app via the chat option?

And for the second issue, that rewards category should update since our most recent updates.

### 1/5 — Great idea but terrible execution

*2018-02-19, version 1.98*

The whole premise of this app relies on being able to categorize transactions but it does such a woeful job of this that the app is essentially useless. In fact, nearly every suggestion it makes is flat out wrong. Telling me I made a mistake using CSR to pay for Uber and should have used an Amex 1% cashback card is crazy, especially as there is a 2% cashback in the portfolio. 

I appreciate maybe they rely on external provider to aggregate transactions from cards but they need to work on the categorization because it’s just so awful that the whole app is a waste of time.

**Developer response:** Hi Geoff,

We're sorry for the incorrect recommendations. You're right in that we use an external aggregator to pull transactions and we typically get poor data quality in regards to merchant names and categorization. We've built algorithms on top of our bank aggregator to fix as much of this as we can and everything we do with reward calculations is our own system as the banks don't share reward data. 

There's a couple of reasons why you may have had incorrect reward recommendations but it's typically caused when your cards aren't matched in your Birch wallet. That's the only way we know what cards you have and how to calculate rewards as the banks send over misleading credit card names like 'Credit Card'. 

Sorry for your bad experience and if you give us another shot, please send us an in-app chat.

## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated)

### 1/5 — Not accurate

*2021-08-25, version 2.3.4*

Doesn’t import and rate my rewards

### 1/5 — Doesn’t work

*2020-08-13, version 2.2.0*

Linked all my accounts, but home screen is just a spinning wheel. I don’t think customer service is real because they just don’t respond. What a shame :(

### 1/5 — This application is a waste of time!!

*2020-06-18, version 2.1.5*

Doesn't work at all!!

### 1/5 — App doesn’t work

*2020-04-13, version 2.1.5*

Set up an account. When I go to add my accounts, the app crashes.

### 1/5 — Nonexistent Customer Support!

*2019-07-27, version 2.1.5*

I am not able to add my Discover It card. I contacted Discover and they said it’s not on their part. I contacted Alex the founder is Birch several times and have not received a response in 6 weeks. I contacted another Alex (Chief Technology Officer) and no response. Lastly, I contacted Sam (Head of Research) and no response. It’s ironic that I contacted them on the live chat feature and I haven’t received any customers support response in 6 weeks. Customer support is non existent on this app.

### 1/5 — Incorrect points

*2018-11-27, version 2.1.0*

Points have been updated per Marriott website but Birch is incorrectly reflecting 1x versus 2x

### 1/5 — Crashes

*2018-10-04, version 2.0.1*

App crashes upon opening.
Please fix!

### 1/5 — App does not open on my phone

*2018-10-04, version 2.0.1*

Sounds like a great idea for an app but it does not open on my phone.

### 1/5 — App Crashing on iPhone X and no support for iOS 12

*2018-09-24, version 2.0.1*

This app is crashing each time you attempt to launch on iPhone X. please fix soon.

I have attempted to uninstall and install the app. Still it is not working. do we have any app support to fix this?

**Developer response:** Hi there! We fixed the issue that was causing the app to crash. Please update!

### 1/5 — Can’t even open

*2018-09-18, version 2.0.1*

I think the ios12 update killed this app.  I’ve downloaded multiple times and no matter what I do it just opens and then immediately crashes.

## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated)

### 5/5 — Everyday need

*2018-12-02, version 2.1.0*

This app is my go to app for savings . Little bit adds up , I was surprise to see my savings accumulate.

### 5/5 — Love, love, love

*2017-12-03, version 1.91*

I've been looking for an app like this forever! I love the fact that it first showed me how much I was missing by not using the right credit card and now that I applied, it tracks all of my rewards and shows me when to use my cards. 

It's super easy to setup and for someone who doesn't have enough time to stay on top of my credit cards it's an absolutely amazing tool to have on my phone.

### 5/5 — Helpful app

*2017-12-01, version 1.91*

Helpful app, nice design.

### 5/5 — I don't feel financially incompetent any more

*2017-12-01, version 1.91*

I can finally put my subpar excel sheets and the handful of receipt I sometimes remember to keep in my wallet. This app has not only given me the ability to track everything I do without doing any work, but also helped me decide on a credit card without asking my dad. Thanks Birch keep it up.

### 5/5 — Great App and even better customer service

*2017-08-23, version 1.84*

The app has a lot of information about your spending and bank accounts/credit cards.  I recommend giving it a try.  Plus the customer service is awesome!

### 5/5 — Great app for watching accounts and credit card reccomendations

*2017-06-14, version 1.80.0*

Love this app. I use it for watching all of my different accounts from different banks. I also was able to find the right credit card per their recommendations and will be using points to travel now. Really a great app and highly recommend.

### 5/5 — Great app to see my spend across all accounts

*2017-05-23, version 1.80.0*

Birch easily shows me how much I spend across all of my accounts, when upcoming payments are due, and which credit card I should use to spend most effectively! 

I love how it shows me how to get more rewards on my credit cards.

### 5/5 — Fantastic app!!

*2017-03-22, version 1.01*

Waiting for the coming soon section!

### 5/5 — Super useful

*2017-03-07, version 1.0*

Birch is really handy for getting a handle on rewards. If you use your credit card on everyday purchases and pay off your balance each month, you'll love the missed rewards feature. I didn't realize I wasn't using my credit card for some automatic payments like Uber and my cable bill. I was missing out on a lot of rewards until I switched those payments over to my credit card. Thanks Birch! I also found it super interesting to see how my spending breaks down by category and merchant.

### 5/5 — Looks promising

*2017-03-07, version 1.0*

I'm excited to see how this app evolves. It's interesting to see where my top merchants are but I definitely think the upcoming capability to know which card to use in real time will be very useful.

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-10.*