Our methodology for ranking and comparing credit cards, including data sources, scoring criteria, and editorial process.
This page sets out how cards are ranked. The short version: the ranking algorithm does not use, consider, or include affiliate commission data in any form. Rankings reflect what is best for the person holding the card, and a card that pays us nothing frequently ranks above one that pays us well.
Total value combines the welcome bonus with ongoing earnings over a typical holding period: total value equals welcome bonus value plus annual ongoing earnings multiplied by the hold period, where annual ongoing earnings is your yearly spending times the effective rewards rate, minus the annual fee. The hold period used is typically three to five years.
Points are valued conservatively, generally between three quarters of a cent and one and a half cents each depending on the program. Using conservative values stops a bonus from being made to look better than it is.
The right ranking also depends on how much you spend, so results are adjusted by spending profile — a light spender, an average spender, and a heavy spender are not best served by the same card.
The ranking inputs are blind to compensation. There is no field in the scoring for what a card pays, so there is nothing for a commercial relationship to lean on.
This page follows the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's guidance for credit card rankings and editorial integrity. Where we earn money is stated in full on the affiliate disclosure page.
No. Commission data is not an input to the ranking at any point. Cards that pay us nothing regularly rank above cards that pay us well when the math says they should.
Because an optimistic valuation makes every bonus look bigger than it is. Planning around a conservative number means a card can beat expectations rather than miss them.
Yes, often decisively. A card whose fee is offset by credits can be excellent for a heavy spender and a bad deal for a light one, so results are adjusted by spending profile.