Last updated November 2026.
Each card page has two kinds of numbers. The Expert Score tells you what independent reviewers think of the card. The value table tells you what the card is worth in a year for a few example budgets. Here is how we build each one.
The Expert Score
The Expert Score is out of 10. It combines published reviews of the card from personal finance sites, weighted by how credible each site is.
How we build it
- Credibility tiers. Each review site gets a tier. We look at how long it has covered credit cards, whether its writers are named, and whether it explains how it reviews. Reviews from higher tiers count for more.
- One scale. Sites score cards differently: 4.5 out of 5, 8 out of 10, 90 out of 100. We convert each score to a score out of 10 before we combine them.
- Few reviews, careful score. A card with only one or two reviews is pulled toward the average score of all cards. As more reviews come in, the score moves closer to what reviewers actually say.
- A minimum to get a score. A card needs enough reviews before it gets an Expert Score. Until then, the page shows the reviews without a score.
What it leaves out
The Expert Score shows what reviewers think. It doesn’t measure customer service or your chances of approval, and it doesn’t know how you spend. The value table covers your spending.
No card issuer can pay to change a score.
Value for your spending
Each card page shows what the card is worth in a year for three example budgets: $1,000, $2,500 and $5,000 a month.
- We take the card’s earn rate for each kind of spending, such as groceries, gas and travel, and add up a year of rewards. Then we subtract the annual fee.
- The first year also adds the welcome offer and any first-year fee waiver.
- Points are turned into dollars at our typical value for each program, for example 2 cents for an Aeroplan point. The card page says which value we used.
- We apply spending caps and category rules where we have them.
The budgets are examples to compare cards side by side. They aren’t averages, and your own spending will give a different number. Open “Show the math” on any card page to see each step.
Checked dates
Each part of a card page (fees, interest rates, rewards, perks, eligibility and the welcome offer) has its own checked date. When we haven’t checked a part with the issuer yet, the page says so near the top.
Common questions
Can a card issuer pay for a better score or ranking?
No. See how we make money.
Why doesn’t this card have an Expert Score?
Not enough review sites have scored it yet for a number we would stand behind.
Why is the Expert Score different from scores on other sites?
Many sites count every review the same. We give more weight to sites with a longer track record and a clear review method.
How often do scores change?
The Expert Score updates when we add a review. The value table updates when a card’s fees, earn rates or welcome offer change, or when we update a points value.
Spot something wrong? Use “Suggest a correction” at the bottom of any card page.