Bottom line: CardCompass may receive a commission when you click "Apply Now" and are approved for a credit card. However, this compensation never influences which cards we recommend, how we rank them, or the scores we assign. Our editorial team operates independently of our business team.
How We Make Money
CardCompass is a free service for consumers. We earn revenue through affiliate partnerships with credit card issuers and financial institutions. When you click an "Apply Now" link on our site and are subsequently approved for a credit card, we may receive a commission from the card issuer.
These compensation arrangements are common in the personal finance publishing industry and allow us to provide our comparison tools and research at no cost to you.
Who We Work With
CardCompass has affiliate relationships with the following types of financial institutions:
| Issuer Category | Example Partners | Relationship Type |
|---|---|---|
| Major U.S. Banks | Chase, Citi, Bank of America, Wells Fargo | Affiliate (commission on approval) |
| Independent Card Networks | American Express, Discover | Affiliate (commission on approval) |
| Financial Technology Companies | Capital One, SoFi, Marcus | Affiliate (commission on approval) |
Not every card we feature has an affiliate relationship. We include cards we believe serve our readers' interests regardless of whether we earn a commission.
How Compensation Affects What We Show You
Our editorial rankings, card scores, and quiz recommendations are determined by our editorial methodology — not by compensation. The order in which cards appear on our comparison pages is based on our CardCompass Score, which weights:
- Total rewards value for the average American household's spending
- Sign-up bonus value (amortized over 2 years)
- Annual fee relative to benefits received
- Flexibility of points redemption
- Foreign transaction fees
- Required credit score and approval accessibility
Compensation may influence which cards appear on a given page — we may not feature every card in the market. However, among cards we do feature, compensation never determines relative ranking or score.
Our Editorial Independence Policy
CardCompass maintains a strict separation between our editorial and business operations:
- Editorial staff who write and score card reviews have no visibility into affiliate commission rates
- Business staff who manage affiliate relationships have no authority over card rankings or editorial content
- Cards are never promoted above their editorial merit in exchange for higher commission rates
- We will clearly label any "sponsored" or "featured" placements that are paid promotions distinct from our editorial rankings
Information Accuracy
Credit card terms — including annual fees, interest rates, sign-up bonuses, and rewards structures — change frequently at issuers' discretion. While we work to keep our information current, we recommend always verifying the most up-to-date terms directly on the card issuer's website before applying.
The projected earnings shown in our Card Quiz are estimates based on typical spending patterns and should not be considered a guarantee of actual rewards earned.
Questions or Concerns
If you have questions about our advertiser relationships or editorial practices, please contact us at hello@cardcompass.io. We are committed to transparency and will respond to all inquiries.