How CardMax ranks credit cards
Our method in full: what we rank by, what we never rank by, and where the data comes from.
Every list on CardMax is ordered by one of two things: the reward rate a bank publishes for a spending category, or the card’s annual fee. That’s it. When two cards tie on rate, the one with the lower fee goes first.
What never affects a ranking
- Commission. We may earn a commission when someone is approved for a card through our links. Whether a card pays us, and how much, has no effect on its position. A card with no affiliate deal can, and often does, rank first.
- Payment for placement. No bank can buy a higher position. If we ever show sponsored content, it will be labelled “Sponsored” and kept out of the rankings.
We never mix reward units
Of the 115 cards we track, 29 pay cashback, 68 earn points and 18 earn airline miles. A percentage of cashback, a points multiplier and a miles rate are different units, and a point is worth a different amount at every bank. So we rank each type on its own, and we never add them up into one number.
The small print sits next to the rate
Many cards have monthly caps, minimum-spend thresholds or excluded merchants. We show these on every card page, alongside the rate, rather than hiding them behind a headline number. See our guide to caps and minimum spend.
Where the data comes from
Card details come from each bank’s own published product pages and terms. Each card page shows when we last checked it. Banks change their terms often, so always confirm on the bank’s site before you apply. If you spot something out of date, email cardmax.uae@gmail.com and we’ll fix it.