How we rate
Every credit card in our comparison receives an overall score from 0 to 10. It comes from a transparent, weighted score across six factors – calculated solely from real, verified card data. We work independently: no affiliate links, no commissions, no paid placements. What a card objectively delivers decides its score – not who pays us.
The six factors and their weighting
Each factor is rated on a scale of 0 to 10 and enters the overall score with the following weight. Costs deliberately dominate the most, while interest is weighted only gently:
| Factor | Weight |
|---|---|
| Costs | 32 % |
| Foreign currency | 20 % |
| Features | 17 % |
| Cash worldwide | 15 % |
| Cashback & bonus | 10 % |
| Interest | 6 % |
What each factor means
- Costs (32 %)
- Annual fee and ongoing costs – permanently free cards score best here.
- Foreign currency (20 %)
- Fee for payments in a foreign currency – 0 % earns the top mark.
- Features (17 %)
- Features such as travel insurance, lounge access, a German IBAN and Apple/Google Pay.
- Cash worldwide (15 %)
- Free cash withdrawals worldwide – important when travelling.
- Cashback & bonus (10 %)
- Cashback and welcome bonus – real money back in everyday use.
- Interest (6 %)
- Interest on installments – weighted gently, as most users pay in full.
The cost curve is deliberately steep: permanently fee-free cards rank clearly at the top, while even a moderate annual fee costs noticeable points. Interest, by contrast, enters only gently – anyone who repays the balance in full each month pays no interest anyway.
A worked example
A permanently free card with no annual fee, a 0 % foreign currency fee and free cash withdrawals worldwide hits top marks on costs, foreign currency and cash. Because these three factors together carry the largest share of the weight, the card ends up very high overall – even without cashback or travel insurance.
An expensive premium card with a high annual fee can barely make up for that: even generous cashback, a welcome bonus and lounge access only partly offset the cost disadvantage, because cashback and bonus together carry only a moderate weight. The result: a lower overall score than the lean free card.
How we finance ourselves
This is the decisive difference from many other comparison portals: we earn nothing from our recommendations. There are no commissions, no affiliate links and no paid placements. No bank and no provider can buy its card to the top with us.
The order of our cards is based solely on the score – that is, on the real conditions. That is exactly why you can rely on the ranking: it is free of financial interests and always traceable via the six factors.
Last updated: 2026-07-02