How we review credit cards
Our review framework is public so you can see exactly how every star rating is calculated. Five factors, weighted by their real-world impact on value.
Every credit card review on WeDoPoints follows the same methodology so you can compare cards fairly. This page explains exactly how we evaluate cards, what we weight, and how our star rating is calculated.
The five-factor framework
We score every card on five factors, each weighted differently based on how much it affects real-world value.
Welcome bonus value
How much the welcome offer is worth at our published points valuation rates, minus the annual fee for year one. We adjust for minimum spend difficulty — a bonus that requires $20,000 in 6 months isn’t as accessible as one requiring $4,000 in 3.
Ongoing earning rates
How efficiently the card earns on the categories most people actually spend on (travel, dining, groceries, gas, general purchases). We weight bonus categories by typical spend distribution, not by what looks impressive on a card’s marketing page.
Redemption flexibility
Cards earning into transferable currencies (Chase UR, Amex MR, Capital One, Citi TY, Bilt) score highest. Co-branded cards score based on the strength and stability of their underlying program. Cash back cards score on simplicity and statement credit ease.
Benefits and perks
Lounge access, travel insurance, statement credits, status, free nights, and similar perks — but only counted at the value most users will actually realize. A $300 hotel credit that’s hard to use is not worth $300.
Annual fee and ongoing cost
The annual fee in the context of the value delivered. We don’t penalize high fees if the benefits justify them, and we don’t reward low fees if the card doesn’t earn well.
How we calculate the star rating
Each card receives a 0–100 internal score across the five factors. That score converts to a 1.0–5.0 star rating, displayed in half-star increments. A 5.0 means the card is exceptional in its category. A 3.0 means the card has clear weaknesses you should weigh carefully. We rarely publish reviews below 2.5 — if a card is that weak, we’d rather skip the review and put the writing time into a better card.
Star ratings are category-relative. A 4.5-star cash back card and a 4.5-star premium travel card are both excellent in their category. We don’t compare across categories with a single number — that’s what our “Best For” tags are for.
What we deliberately don’t do
To keep our reviews trustworthy, we avoid several practices common elsewhere:
- No “best of” lists rigged by commission. Our top picks are determined by the framework above, then double-checked against affiliate payouts to make sure we’re not unconsciously favoring higher-paying cards.
- No counting unrealistic perks. If a benefit takes effort most users won’t make to redeem, we discount or exclude it from the score.
- No outdated reviews left running. Reviews older than 12 months are flagged for re-review. Reviews older than 18 months are unpublished until updated.
- No comparing to outdated terms. If a card’s bonus or earning rate changed, we update the review — we don’t compare current cards to old bonus offers to make new ones look weak.
Update cadence
Card reviews are updated:
- Immediately when an issuer announces a material change (bonus change, earning rate change, fee change, benefit change)
- Quarterly as a baseline check against current terms
- On reader report when readers contact us about a discrepancy and we confirm it
Every review page displays its last updated date at the top.
Questions or disagreements
If you disagree with one of our ratings — or you think we’re missing something important about a card — tell us. We don’t promise we’ll change our mind, but we’ll consider every reasoned argument seriously and respond.