How we evaluate
credit cards
We rank cards using one goal: maximize real-world value for your spending profile. Net rewards after fees, realistic point values, and low friction. Tradeoffs stated early so you can decide fast.
Our principles
Our pages are built for fast decisions. We keep the same structure across categories so you can compare quickly. Fees, restrictions, and "who should skip this" appear before the apply button — never buried at the bottom.
We use conservative point values and explain them. No best-case scenarios as defaults.
Annual fee, credits, and caps matter as much as headline earning rates.
Rotating categories and complex redemptions lower real value for most people.
If you carry a balance, rewards almost always lose to interest costs. We say it plainly.
Every pick is anchored to a specific spending profile. "Best for everyone" is not a category we use.
Every recommendation includes who should skip it — not just who it fits.
Pay in full each month. If that is not realistic for you right now, start with a low-interest or balance transfer card and skip rewards-first cards entirely until you can.
We do not claim a single best card for everyone. We do not hide fees or restrictions in fine print. We do not assume premium travel redemptions by default. We do not inflate point values to make a card look better than it is.
Our scoring model
We score cards across consistent buckets, with emphasis adjusted by category — a cashback card is not judged like a premium travel card. The goal stays the same: highest net value for the right user profile.
Our editorial score (shown as a star rating on card pages) is a weighted composite. No single factor dominates. A card with an exceptional welcome bonus but weak ongoing value does not outscore a card that consistently performs month after month.
What "net value" means
We look at what you can realistically extract over a year — not just the signup headline. That includes the annual fee, credits that are genuinely easy to use, category caps, redemption rules, and typical household spend by category.
We use a sample annual budget based on Esri consumer spending data: roughly $5,200/yr groceries · $3,700/yr dining · $2,200/yr gas · $2,200/yr travel · $4,900/yr utilities/bills · $4,000/yr general purchases. We adjust for each card's specific category structure.
How we value points & miles
Point values depend entirely on how you redeem. We do not use aggressive best-case valuations as a default. We prefer conservative baselines that match what most people can actually achieve without heavy optimization or flexibility requirements.
- Cash-out as a floor. When a program offers cash redemption, we treat that as the minimum value floor.
- Transfer partner ranges. We value transfer partners using realistic ranges, not a single inflated headline number.
- Effort disclosed. When high value requires booking flexibility, availability, or research, we say so explicitly.
- Headline vs. expected. We separate the best-case value from the value most users will realistically achieve.
Chase Ultimate Rewards: 1.5¢ cash / up to 2.0¢ via transfer
Amex Membership Rewards: 1.0¢ cash / up to 2.0¢ via transfer
Capital One Miles: 1.0¢ fixed / up to 1.85¢ via transfer
Citi ThankYou Points: 1.0¢ cash / up to 1.7¢ via transfer
Transfer values reflect realistic redemptions, not maximum theoretical yield.
APR and interest risk: if you carry a balance, interest charges wipe out rewards fast. A card earning 2% cash back on a 20% APR balance costs 18% net. Rewards are a bonus — never a reason to borrow.
Our review process
Every card page goes through a consistent review cycle before publication and whenever a material change is detected.
All data pulled from issuer websites and cardmember agreements. No press releases or third-party summaries.
Each card is scored inside a defined spending profile — not generically against all cards at once.
Every recommendation includes who should skip it. No card is presented as universally correct.
If a term is unclear or issuer-dependent (e.g. "eligible streaming"), we note it and link to the source.
We track material changes — welcome bonuses, annual fees, earn rate shifts — and update pages promptly.
Every page shows a last-updated date. We do not hide stale content behind evergreen titles.
Keeping pages accurate
Credit card terms change frequently — welcome bonuses rotate, annual fees increase, earn structures shift. We review key pages on a rolling basis and update when we detect material changes.
- Trigger-based updates: fee changes, earn rate adjustments, benefit removals, new welcome offers.
- Consistency checks: same scoring logic applied across all cards in a category.
- Clarity checks: tradeoffs visible above the fold, not buried below the apply button.
- Monthly Moves: our dedicated page tracking the most important offer changes each month.
If you spot an error — a rate, fee, or term that has changed or is wrong — use our contact page. Include the card name, the section with the issue, and a link to the issuer's current page. We investigate and update promptly. All corrections are reflected in the page's last-updated date.
Editorial independence
CashBackBunny is independently published by CashBackBunny LLC. We may earn compensation from partners when you apply through certain links, but compensation does not set our conclusions or determine rankings.
Our goal is to recommend the best fit for each user profile using consistent criteria — even when the highest-paying affiliate option is not the right choice for the person reading.
Cards without affiliate arrangements are included when they represent genuine value. The Alliant Cashback Visa, Discover it Student, and Citi Diamond Preferred are current examples of cards we feature with no or minimal affiliate relationship.
Can: Influence where a card appears within a tier of similarly-rated cards.
Cannot: Change a card's score, move it into a category it does not qualify for, suppress a competitor that scores higher, or cause us to omit a material tradeoff.
Primary sources
We rely on primary sources whenever possible. All rates, fees, earn structures, and bonus details are verified directly from issuer pages before publication.