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THE POINTS GUY REVIEW METHODOLOGY
The Points Guy has been a leading voice in the travel industry for more than 13
years, and our team of travel and credit cards experts has over 400 years of
combined experience in the travel and financial spaces. Altogether, we’ve flown
a total of over 50 million lifetime miles and spend over 1,500 combined nights
in hotels each year.
WHAT GOES INTO OUR CARD RATINGS AND REVIEWS?
TPG’s team of industry experts determines each credit card’s overall value and
gives it a score between 1 and 5 to help you decide the cards that are best for
you.
4.5 or higher: Excellent This is one of our favorite cards that we highly
recommend. It provides significant value and perks that easily justify its
annual fee.
3.5 to 4.0: Very good We like and often recommend this card for the value it
brings to a wide range of cardholders.
3.0: Good This card provides decent value for its annual fee and is a good fit
for the right circumstances.
Under 3.0: Average This card can provide value under specific circumstances.
To determine each score, we consider the following factors:
Earning potential:
We evaluate the card’s earning rates, welcome offer and potential for targeted
discounts or bonuses.
Rewards redemptions:
We analyze the value of the card’s rewards based on TPG’s valuations as well as
the ease and flexibility of redemption options.
Perks:
We calculate the value of a card’s benefits, such as statement credits, airport
lounge access and insurance protections. For airline and hotel credit cards,
this includes perks like free checked bags, companion certificates,
complimentary hotel nights and automatic elite status.
Authorized user cards:
We consider the cost and benefits of adding an authorized user to the card
account.
User experience:
We look at the overall customer experience, including customer service as well
as how easy it is to navigate the card’s web portal and mobile app.
Annual fee:
We determine whether the card’s above features easily justify its annual fee for
a large number of cardholders.
Since there’s such a wide variety of cards on the market, we also consider
specific criteria based on the card’s type:
Travel rewards cards:
We most heavily weigh the card’s earning rates and travel-related perks such as
airport lounge access and travel statement credits. We also look carefully at
the travel protections the card offers, including trip cancellation/interruption
coverage, trip delay protection and baggage delay insurance.
Airline credit cards:
We determine the value of the card’s airline benefits, like airport lounge
access, companion certificates, free checked bags and automatic status (or
shortcuts to status) with the airline. We also evaluate any bonus categories
that can accelerate your progress toward free flights.
Hotel credit cards:
We consider the value of the card’s perks, specifically looking for free night
certificates, on-property perks or discounts, and automatic elite status with
the given hotel program to help make your stays more rewarding and comfortable.
We also look at bonus earning rates to identify how quickly you can rack up free
nights based on your everyday spending.
Cash-back cards:
We primarily take into account the card’s earning rates across bonus categories
and everyday spending relative to its annual fee. We also consider the ease and
flexibility of redeeming rewards, including any opportunities to combine them
with other cards to increase their value.
Business cards:
We analyze the value of bonus categories tailored specifically for small
businesses, and we also consider perks that can save companies money (like
statement credits for business services or free employee cards) and time (like
included expense-reporting software).
0% APR and balance transfer cards:
We look for cards that have an introductory 0% annual percentage rate on
purchases and balance transfers — and then identify how long these promotional
offers are available, what fees they incur and whether the cards offer other
benefits beyond the 0% rate.
WHY YOU CAN TRUST US
We’re passionate about credit cards because of the travel and lifestyle they
make possible — and we’re living that passion every single day. The average
member of our editorial team has 20 credit cards and travels at least once a
month. We know whether a card is worth getting because we’ve tested its
benefits.
When we recommend a credit card to you, it’s not theoretical, nor is it simply
repeating what a card issuer’s website says. It’s because we’ve experienced its
value firsthand. Whether it’s utilizing automatic elite status perks, working
from airport lounges, saving money on checked bag fees, booking luxury hotels
with free night certificates, redeeming rewards for a bucket list adventure or
simply using cash-back rewards to buy holiday presents, we’ve put these credit
cards through their paces to better serve you, our readers.
We’re dedicated to making credit card information accessible and exciting by
providing cutting-edge resources, top-notch content and firsthand stories to
help you choose the best credit cards for your lifestyle and goals. Our card
ratings go hand in hand with our more detailed card reviews, card comparisons,
benefit guides, educational content and first-person experiences to support
beginners and experts alike along their credit card journeys.
While TPG may receive a commission when you apply for a card through our site,
these card ratings are decided by our independent editorial team and not
influenced by any of our partners.
ADVERTISER DISCLOSURE
Many of the credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card
companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. This compensation
may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example,
the order in which they appear). This site does not include all credit card
companies or all available credit card offers. Please view our advertising
policy page for more information.
Editorial Note: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any
bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed,
approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you
leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might
otherwise be out of reach. That’s why we publish a variety of editorial content
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