Let’s get one thing straight: There is no one credit card that is perfect for everyone. Different credit cards have various benefits and use cases that make them great options for some and not-so-great options for others. We strive to provide accurate and objective information to help you choose the right card for you. Per our editorial guidelines, we rate and review all credit cards independently, with no influence from card issuers or advertisers. Additionally, our ratings and review team operates independently from the newsroom.
We reviewed dozens of credit cards and assessed them on quantifiable comparisons of APRs, intro offers, annual fees, balance transfer fees, required credit scores, rewards, and foreign transaction fees. We also factored in qualitative analysis of rewards value, how easy it is to redeem rewards, additional cardholder benefits, and customer experience. From there, we give each card a score between one and five stars (with five stars being the best score).
We review our ratings and scores quarterly to make sure you’re getting the latest analysis of a particular card’s strengths and weaknesses. Each credit card category has additional requirements that must be met in order for it to be considered for a rating.
Best Airline Credit Cards: The card must earn bonus airline rewards. Airline rewards earning rate, flexibility of rewards redemption, and rewards redemption value are weighted most heavily when reviewing airline credit cards.
Best Balance Transfer Cards: The card must have a 0% APR offer for balance transfers for at least 15 months. Introductory APR on balance transfers (both rate and period length), any additional fees, and ongoing APR after the introductory period are weighted most heavily when reviewing balance transfer credit cards. Additional factors, such as how much a person could save in interest by moving debt to the card while paying it off, are also weighted heavily.
Best Business Credit Cards: The card must be classified as a business credit card. Rewards value, flexibility of rewards redemption, and any business-centric perks the card offers are weighted most heavily when reviewing business credit cards.
Best Cash Back Cards: The card must earn cash back rewards. Rewards value, flexibility of rewards redemption, sign-up bonuses, and annual fees are weighted most heavily when reviewing cash back cards.
Best Gas Credit Cards: The card must earn bonus gas rewards, such as discounts, cash back, or other gas-related rewards. Rewards value and flexibility of rewards redemption are weighted most heavily when reviewing gas credit cards.
Best Hotel Credit Cards: The card must earn bonus hotel rewards, such as points, discounts, and other perks. The value of the rewards program, ease of rewards redemption, intro bonus, and annual fees are weighted most heavily when reviewing hotel credit cards.
Best Low-Interest Credit Cards: The card must have a 0% APR offer of at least 15 months for purchases or balance transfers and an ongoing minimum APR of 19.99% or less. Introductory and ongoing APR, additional fees, and card features and perks are weighted most heavily when reviewing low-interest credit cards.
Best No-Annual-Fee Credit Cards: The card must not charge an annual fee. Card rewards and perks, intro and ongoing APR, and any additional bonus offers are weighted most heavily when reviewing no-annual-fee credit cards.
Best Rewards Credit Cards: The card must earn rewards. Rewards value and rate, flexibility of rewards redemption, sign-up bonuses, and annual fees are weighted most heavily when reviewing rewards cards.
Best Sign-Up Bonus Credit Cards: The card must have a sign-up bonus worth at least $200. The value of the sign-up bonus, intro and ongoing APR, annual fee, and additional rewards or perks are weighted most heavily when reviewing sign-up bonus credit cards. Additional factors, such as the ease of qualifying for the bonus offer, are also considered.
Best Student Credit Cards: The card must be classified as a student credit card. Introductory offer, rates and fees, and any student-centric perks are weighted most heavily when reviewing student credit cards. Additional factors, such as the likelihood of qualifying for the card with limited income and credit history, are also considered.
Best Travel Credit Cards: The card must earn bonus travel rewards, such as hotel, airline, or general travel. Rewards rate and flexibility of rewards redemption, introductory offer, travel-related perks (such as free checked bags or no foreign transaction fees), and ongoing rates and fees are weighted most heavily when reviewing travel credit cards.
Best 0% APR Credit Cards: The card must have a 0% APR offer of at least 14 months on purchases and balance transfers. Ongoing APR after the introductory period expires, balance transfer fees, and card features and perks are weighted most heavily when reviewing 0% APR credit cards.
Who We Are
We are a team of journalists and researchers who are dedicated to helping you find the right answers to all of your most important home and personal finance questions. We operate independently from Hearst newsrooms.
Our mission is to make pivotal decisions easy. We are dedicated to breaking down complicated topics in ways everyone can understand. Our advice is rooted in deep research, but is always approachable and practical — we want to save you time and money by giving you straightforward answers to big questions. Ultimately, our goal is to empower you to make confident decisions about your home, money, and happiness.
Our Values
We are trustworthy: We strive to be fair and honest. We will always disclose our selection methodology and how we make money.
We are savvy: Our content is smart and practical — we save you time and money by giving you straightforward answers to big questions.
We are approachable: We break down complicated topics and decisions in ways everyone can understand.
We are rooted in service: Our content empowers readers to make confident decisions for their money, homes, and more.
How We Make Money
We make independent decisions about what we cover and recommend. Some of the products featured on this page are from companies that compensate us. This compensation may influence how and where these products appear on the page, such as the order in which they appear in a comparison table, list or advertisement, but it does not influence our editorial choices on what we write about a company or product, or whether to include or exclude any company or product from our editorial content. You may also see traditional advertising on our site, which will be clearly labeled. This site does not include all card companies or all card offers available in the marketplace. Terms Apply.
Editorial Policies
All articles are prepared by staff and contributors. Opinions expressed therein are solely those of the ratings and reviews editorial team and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including rates and fees, presented in this article is accurate as of the date of the publish. Check the lender’s website for the most current information. We operate independently from Hearst newsrooms.
