How Motley Fool Money Rates Credit Cards

At The Motley Fool, we take our mission to make the world smarter, happier, and richer very seriously. That includes making sure the credit cards we feature on Motley Fool Money are heavily vetted by our team of experts, so you can feel confident the picks on our site are fantastic choices for most people.

Our credit card rating philosophy

When rating credit cards, we consider the most important features for the average user, based on our credit card preferences survey of 2,000 Americans. We tend to favor credit cards with low fees and interest rates, competitive rewards, and welcome bonuses and perks. Our core objectives for our recommended selections are:

Editorially independent (NOT influenced by partners)
Easy to understand
Applicable to any card
Scoring is weighted, and scaled to 5 stars

Our credit card ratings methodology

Each credit card we review receives a score from 0 to 10, based on the features that matter most for its primary purpose — whether that’s earning rewards, financing purchases, or rebuilding credit.

Cash Back and Rewards Credit Cards

Our cash back card ratings focus on how much real value you can earn — and keep — with everyday spending. We look closely at rewards rates, intro offers, and fees to surface the strongest options for people who want to maximize cash back.

What we evaluate:

Cash back earning potential

The biggest factor in our scoring is how much cash back a card can earn. Top cards offer at least 2% back on everything or higher rates in popular categories like groceries, dining, or gas.

0% intro APR offers

We give points for 0% intro APR periods on purchases and balance transfers. Cards with promotional periods of 15 months or more tend to score highest in this category.

Welcome bonuses and fees

Cards can get a small boost for offering a welcome bonus of $200 or more, or for having a strong flat-rate cash back offer. We may subtract points if the card charges an annual fee.

Category leaders

Best-in-class cards in certain areas - like rotating rewards or grocery-specific offers - may receive a slight bump in their final rating.

Travel Credit Cards

We rate travel credit cards based on how well they reward frequent travelers -- not just with points and miles, but with valuable perks and flexible redemption options. Our scoring prioritizes cards that offer strong earning rates and a rewarding travel experience.

What we evaluate:

Travel rewards potential

Top cards earn at least 2X points or miles on every purchase, or 3X or more in key travel categories, and they let you transfer those rewards to airline and hotel partners. Cards that offer only fixed-value rewards or limited bonus categories may score lower here.

Perks and travel credits

We award more points to cards with valuable benefits like airport lounge access, travel credits, and strong protections. Cards with multiple high-end perks rank higher, while those offering only basic benefits (like no foreign transaction fees) earn fewer points.

Welcome bonus

We give cards credit for offering a generous welcome bonus, especially those that start at 75,000 points or more. Lower-tier bonuses still contribute, but to a lesser degree.

Annuel fee

We don’t penalize cards for having a modest annual fee, but higher fees can reduce a card’s score.

Intro APR offers

While rare on travel cards, we do give a small boost for 0% APR offers on purchases and balance transfers.

0% Credit Cards

These cards are designed for people looking to pay off a large purchase or transfer a balance, so our ratings emphasize interest-free periods, fee structures, and how much time you really get to pay things down.

What we evaluate:

0% APR on purchases

The longer the intro period, the better. Top cards offer 21 months or more with no interest on new purchases. Shorter 0% windows still earn points but won’t score as high.

0% APR on balance transfers

Balance transfer length carries even more weight in our scoring. The best cards give you 21+ months to pay off transferred balances with no interest. Cards with shorter durations may still be helpful but earn fewer points.

Balance transfer fees

We subtract points if a card charges a 5% balance transfer fee. Many charge less, and we think that matters when you're trying to pay down debt.

Top-of-market bonus

Cards that lead the pack in duration or fee structure may earn a small ratings boost. We also reward rare standouts that offer great 0% terms and solid ongoing rewards.

Business Credit Cards

Our business card ratings are designed to help owners and entrepreneurs find cards that match the way they spend, and scale. We consider earning structures, welcome offers, perks, and business-specific benefits like employee controls or loyalty boosts.

What we evaluate:

Rewards structure

Top-rated business cards offer 1.5X or more on every purchase and allow point transfers to travel partners -- or they earn 2%+ cash back or 3X to 5X in valuable categories like advertising, travel, or office supplies. Flat-rate cards with lower earning potential receive fewer points.

Welcome bonus

Cards earn points for offering a generous welcome bonus, especially if it’s 75,000 points or more. Lower-tier bonuses still contribute to the score but make less impact.

Business perks and tools

We award points for features that add long-term value, such as airport lounge access, annual statement credits, expense management tools, and employee controls. Cards with only basic protections get partial credit.

Annual fee

Cards with low or no annual fee aren’t penalized. Higher annual fees can reduce a card’s score unless the benefits clearly justify the cost.

0% intro APR offers

We give a small scoring boost to cards that offer at least 12 months of 0% interest on purchases, or a longer offer that also covers balance transfers.

Loyalty or relationship boosts

Some cards earn bonus points for offering elevated rewards when paired with a business checking account or loyalty tier.

How our ratings translate to our Best Of lists

We combine the factors outlined above with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best card recommendations on each of our pages. Our aim is to maintain balanced best-of lists featuring top-scoring credit cards from reputable brands.

Ordering within our lists is influenced by advertiser compensation, including featured placements at the top of a given list, but our product recommendations are NEVER influenced by advertisers. Our Ratings team operates totally independently of our Partnership team.