The Credit Ledger We score each credit card out of 5, building that score from four weighted factors. The weights below add up to 100 percent and do not change based on who issues the card or whether we have an affiliate relationship with them.
The scoring rubric
| Factor | Weight | What we measure |
|---|---|---|
| Rewards value | 35% | Real-world earning and redemption value net of the annual fee, modeled on typical spending rather than best-case marketing numbers. |
| Fees & APR | 25% | Annual fee, ongoing purchase APR, penalty rates, and foreign-transaction and balance-transfer costs. |
| Perks & benefits | 20% | Sign-up bonus, statement credits, insurance, and protections, weighted by how usable they are in practice. |
| Approval accessibility | 20% | The typical credit profile a card requires and how attainable it is for most applicants. |
| Total | 100% | Combined into a single score out of 5. |
Independence from issuers and advertisers
Affiliate partnerships fund this site, but they do not buy a better score. Ratings, rankings, and analysis are decided by the rubric above and nothing else. No issuer, advertiser, or affiliate partner reviews or approves our scores before publication, and no partner can pay to change a rating, move up a list, or remove a criticism. When a page contains affiliate links we say so plainly at the top of the page.
How we build each rating
Research
We map what readers actually need to decide, then gather every card in the category before scoring.
Verify against issuer terms
Every rate, fee, and benefit is checked against the issuer's current, official disclosures. We never estimate a number we can confirm.
Cite primary sources
Claims link back to issuer terms, regulator data, or official rate sheets so you can verify them yourself.
Date and refresh
We date every article and re-check it when terms change, so the score reflects the product as it stands today.
Money products change fast, and a rating is only as good as the date next to it. If you spot a figure that no longer matches the issuer's terms, tell us; corrections are part of the job.