Publishes a transparent star-rating method and says ratings are issuer-proof, but it earns affiliate fees from the very issuers it ranks and, by its own disclosure, compensation can shape which cards appear and in what order.
What it's really for A credit-card comparison site paid affiliate commissions when you're approved.
What our grade covers The grade on this page is about its 1-5 star credit-card reviews, not everything the site does.
High Scoring Confidence Checked against primary sources. We are confident in the facts and the grade here.
Card issuers (American Express, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citi, Discover and other partners) pay it the most, and by its own disclosure that compensation can buy featured placement and list order, though it says it does not change the independent star ratings.
Source →- Operating since
- 2003 (23 years) · source
- What it costs you
- Free to read The reviews are free to read.
- How they make money
- It earns affiliate commissions from credit card issuers when users click through and get approved, and accepts compensation that can influence where and in what order cards are featured.
- What they do
- It researches, scores (1-5 stars), and compares hundreds of credit cards across categories to help consumers pick and apply for a card.
- What to watch for
- It does not cover the full market of cards, and by its own disclosure the order cards appear in lists can be influenced by what partners pay, even though it says the star ratings themselves are not.
- Composite score
- 2.70 / 5.00 → grade C+
How the grade was reached
Does the site take money from the very entities it ranks? Pay-for-placement, vendor-funded data, and affiliate commissions all pull this down. The less the ranking can be bought, the higher the score.
What is the ranking actually built on? Hands-on testing scores highest, then verified first-hand reviews, then opinion or popularity surveys and self-reported figures, then pay-to-rank, which scores lowest.
Is the methodology published, specific, and reproducible? Can a reader see how a given rank was reached, or is it a black box?
Are commercial relationships, sponsorships, and affiliate arrangements disclosed clearly and near the rankings themselves, rather than buried?
How hard is it to game? Controls against fake reviews, solicited reviews, and vendor gaming raise this; an open box anyone can stuff lowers it.
Evidence
- By its own disclosure: 'We make money through our relationships with our partners and advertisers' and 'Our relationships with our partners may influence the order that cards appear on a list, but do not influence our independent advice or reviews.' It also states 'CreditCards.com does not include the entire universe of available financial or credit card products.' Source: CreditCards.com - How We Make Money / Advertiser Disclosure →
- Published rating methodology: it researched 300+ cards, surveyed experts and consumers, weighted factors, and assigns 1-5 star ratings using data inputs (BLS spending data, J.D. Power, Consumer Reports). It states 'we rate and review cards independently, with no influence from advertisers or card issuers' and that the star-rating system 'is not influenced by advertisers or card issuers.' Ratings are data/expert-survey driven, not hands-on testing. Source: CreditCards.com - How Review Scores Are Calculated →
- CreditCards.com was founded in 2003 (Austin, TX), acquired by Bankrate in 2010 for ~$143.1M, and Bankrate was acquired by Red Ventures for $1.24 billion in November 2017, making Red Ventures the ultimate parent. Source: Bankrate - Wikipedia →