Reward Credit Card Rating Methodology

Cards that are featured in our "Reward Cards Reports" are rated using a five star rating system. A description of this system follows:

Indicates a superior rating

Indicates an above average rating

Indicates an average rating

Indicates a below average rating

Indicates a poor rating

Cards that are featured in the "Reward Cards Reports" are rated using the following criteria (in order of importance):

1) Rewards and benefits as compared with similar reward cards (cards in the same category)
2) Rewards and benefits as compared with unrelated reward cards (cards in other categories)
3) Card reviews from other independent sources (including national publications)
4) Reputation among card holders
5) Annual fee
6) Length of time that the card has been issued (preference is given to cards that have established reward programs)
7) Interest rates (including introductory rates)

We employ several methods when researching cards, including, but not limited to, the following:

1) Anonymous phone calls to the card issuer
2) Visiting the web site of the issuer
3) Reviewing comments from our "CardHolder Reviews" section
4) Reviewing comments from our message board and the message boards of other sites
5) Reading reviews of cards from other independent sources

This page last updated 10/06.