How CardMasters calculates credit card value
Short answer
Every figure starts from the issuer's published terms, recorded with the date it was checked — 59 of 73 active cards currently carry a dated check. The earn rate is applied to a stated monthly spend, then the card's own monthly cap, excluded categories and surcharges are subtracted, and reward currency is valued at a conservative redemption rate rather than the issuer's best-case example. Annual fees are shown separately so you can subtract them against your own spend. Approval is modelled from published eligibility criteria only and is always labelled an estimate; no credit bureau is ever queried.
Source: CardMasters issuer-evidence catalogue, release 2026-08-01. Confirm final terms with the issuer.
1. Evidence, with a date attached
A card record is built from the issuer's own product page and terms documents. The check date is stored on the record and displayed wherever the card appears. Cards without a dated check are excluded from every computed ranking rather than shown with unverified numbers — that is why some rankings list fewer cards than the full directory.
2. Caps, exclusions and surcharges come off the top
A headline rate is not a return. Monthly category caps, excluded merchant categories, and surcharges on rent, utility or wallet spend are applied before any figure is published. A category the card excludes returns zero here, however prominent the rate is on the marketing page.
3. Points valued conservatively
Reward currency is converted at a realistic everyday redemption value for that programme. Promotional transfer ratios and best-case travel valuations are not used, because they describe an outcome most cardholders never actually achieve.
4. What the model refuses to do
It does not predict a bank's decision, does not query a credit bureau, does not infer merchant-specific routing from broad categories, and does not rank by commission. Where an issuer publishes no criterion, the gap is shown as unpublished rather than filled with a guess.
Worked example: why the cap decides everything
Cashback SBI Card on online spend, calculated live by the same engine the product uses. Notice the return stops rising once the monthly cap binds — the effective rate falls with every extra rupee after that.
| Monthly online spend | Reward earned | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|
| ₹5,000 | ₹250 | 5.00% |
| ₹10,000 | ₹500 | 5.00% |
| ₹20,000 | ₹1,000 | 5.00% |
| ₹40,000 | ₹2,000 | 5.00% |
Frequently asked questions
Where does CardMasters get its credit card data?
From the issuer's own published sources — product pages, most-important-terms documents and fee schedules. Each card record stores the date it was last checked, and the source link is shown on the card page. Figures are never copied from other comparison sites.
How are reward points converted to rupees?
At a conservative redemption value for that specific programme, not the issuer's best-case transfer example. Where a programme offers several redemption routes, the model uses a realistic everyday route rather than the highest theoretical one, because most cardholders redeem that way.
Does affiliate commission influence the numbers?
No. Commission is not an input to any calculation, ranking or shortlist. A card can rank first with no monetised link at all, and commission amounts are disclosed on comparison views rather than hidden.
Why does CardMasters refuse to predict approval?
Because no external party can see a bank's internal scorecard. The product models eligibility against published criteria — income floor, stated score cutoff, invite-only status — and labels the result an estimate. It never presents an outcome as the bank's decision, and never queries a credit bureau.