How we rate and review credit cards

Credit cards can be confusing, coming with a dizzying array of fees, benefits, rates, and rewards. It’s hard to know if you’re getting a good deal, let alone the best one. That’s why, as part of our mission to provide you with better and safer financial advice, we developed our Star Ratings system for evaluating credit cards to provide you with a clear and concise snapshot of the best cards on the market.

FinanceJar’s Star Ratings operate on a scale from 0.1 to 5.0 and are a representation of our opinion on the overall value of a credit card. All scores and reviews adhere to a strict editing process and are objective and unbiased. We operate independently from our advertisers and affiliates.

To rate each credit card, we first categorize the card according to its intended purpose. We then look at a variety of details and weigh each one accordingly based on their relevance in a given card category.

1. Interest Rates and Fees
2. Credit Score Required
3. Deposit Amount (if applicable)
4. Credit Limit
5. Rewards Rate and Redemption Value & Flexibility
6. Perks, Benefits, and Additional Card Features
7. Customer Satisfaction

Secured Credit Cards

Secured credit cards are often the only available credit cards for bad credit. Because the deposit amount is the biggest barrier to entry for receiving a secured credit card, we’ve weighted it higher as a result. The best secured credit cards will have affordable minimum deposits with low rates and fees, and strong customer satisfaction from verified cardholders.

Low Interest Cards

Interest rates and additional fees like annual surcharges are the highest weighted metric for credit cards classified as low interest. If you’re in the market for credit cards with no annual fee or cards with 0% purchase APR, then rewards offers and high marks on consumer surveys, while being attractive side-benefits, are weighted much lower during our evaluations.

Rewards Cards

When rating rewards credit cards, the heaviest weight is assigned to their purchase options and accrual rates. We’ve also weighed flexibility in how you’re able to spend your points or airline miles higher than other factors. Because the primary benefits of a travel, airline, or hotel credit card are the lucrative cash back bonuses and rewards, interest rates and fees aren’t weighted very heavily.

Student Cards

Student credit cards are a class of their own and are regulated differently than other types of credit cards. Their primary purpose is to help young people access affordable lines of credit and start building their credit scores. As such, reasonable interest rates and fees are the highest weighted factor in our ratings for student cards. All other factors are assessed based on their affordability.

Starter Cards

Starter credit cards are aimed at people with little to no credit or who are just starting to build or rebuild their credit scores. Issuers that offer credit cards for people with no credit or approve low credit scores are rated more favorably in this category.

Credit Cards for Fair to Excellent Credit

Cards that require fair to excellent credit scores frequently provide the best interest rates available. To assess unsecured credit cards, retail credit cards, or business credit cards, we look at the rewards offered by each card as well as any additional perks and benefits.