Editorial Scoring Methodology
Every card on this site is scored on five dimensions, each worth 0–20 points, for a 100-point total. We publish the rubric so you can audit our judgment.
1. Effective rewards rate
The annualized cash-equivalent value per dollar spent, after redemption friction. Not the marketing rate. Travel points are normalized to our redemption-value benchmarks (1.5 cpp Chase UR, 1.4 cpp Amex MR, 1.0 cpp Capital One Miles default). Statement credits are prorated by realistic utilization.
2. Fee structure
Annual fee weighed against the value extracted at a realistic spend level for the target audience. $0 AF cards default high. A first-year fee waiver doesn't count — we score the renewal year.
3. Audience fit
How narrow and honest the audience the card serves. Cards that work brilliantly for a specific person (small business owner spending $50k+/yr, frequent flyer on one airline, credit-rebuilder) score higher than cards marketed broadly that serve no one well.
4. Transparency and trust
Clarity of the issuer's Schumer Box disclosures, devaluation history, CFPB complaint volume per 100k holders, hidden friction. Issuers that retroactively devalued points or buried intro-rate gotchas are penalized.
5. Honest weakness named
Does our review name the tradeoff honestly? A review with no "where it falls short" section caps at 10. A review that surfaces 2-3 real weaknesses and names who shouldn't apply earns full credit. This dimension is the anti-hype gate — even a great card scores low here if our review hyped it.
Verdict ladder
| Score | Verdict | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 90–100 | Canon | Review-of-record for this card type |
| 80–89 | Solid pick | Recommended for the named audience |
| 70–79 | Worth considering | Depends on specifics |
| 60–69 | Niche / conditional | Works for X but most readers should look elsewhere |
| <60 | Skip | Better alternatives exist; review explains why |
What we don’t do
- We don’t sort by commission. Cards rank by ClearValue score.
- We don’t accept editorial sponsorship from issuers.
- We don’t pre-publish reviews to issuers. They see what readers see, when readers see it.