Sources and assumptions
How we compare cards
Understand what an estimate includes, which conditions it assumes and where our data still needs verification.
Editorial ratings
The stars are editorial opinions carried over from earlier reviews. We do not currently have a complete, reproducible component scorecard for every card. The previously advertised 65/15/15/5 weighted formula did not describe those stored scores and has been withdrawn. Stars are not customer-review averages or approval predictions.
First year and subsequent years
First-year value is estimated rewards plus confirmed first-year milestones, less the joining fee including 18% GST. Subsequent-year value uses the renewal fee including GST, with a waiver only where its qualifying spend rule is modelled. Joining and renewal fees are not both charged in the first-year calculation. Welcome gifts need separate confirmation of their conditions and are excluded from the standard comparison.
Where a reward applies
A spending category alone does not establish a merchant or payment channel. Choose a channel only when the whole amount qualifies; otherwise leave it as ordinary spending. We do not infer Amazon Prime, Swiggy, Google Pay on Android or a SmartBuy booking from a broad category. UPI spending requires an eligible RuPay variant and a modelled reward rule. Enter a purchase once, either under UPI or another category.
Caps and milestones
Modelled shared caps are applied once across their categories, including Axis ACE’s accelerated cashback and SBI Cashback’s offline allowance. Where verified, earning continues at the applicable rate above an accelerated ceiling. Milestones use their eligible spend categories and periods. A monthly budget is assumed to repeat throughout the year; seasonal spending may produce a different result. Unconfirmed transaction counts, enrolments and other conditions do not automatically earn a bonus.
What a rupee of rewards means
Cashback, shopping balances, vouchers and travel points have different restrictions. Point values are editorial comparison assumptions, not promises of cash. Voucher face value is useful only if you would otherwise buy the eligible product. A travel redemption or transfer can give a different result. We exclude lounge visits, insurance and concierge from the rupee estimate.
What the estimate does not cover
This is a category estimate, not a statement simulator. It assumes bills are paid in full and excludes interest, transaction fees, redemption fees, refunds and transaction-level rounding. Unless a stated rule covers them, omit cash, wallet loads, gift cards, government payments, tolls, jewellery and EMI purchases. Read the issuer’s terms for merchant codes and statement dates. Unknown caps remain unverified, not ‘unlimited’. Some SmartBuy offers and card plans are not yet modelled.
How recommendations are ordered
The calculator uses the same ranking function on the page and in Ask. Cards needing verification appear after checked records; within each group, reviewed calculation rules and verified caps come first, followed by the selected year’s estimated net value. New-card recommendations exclude known application pauses. These checks do not guarantee eligibility. Category lists are editorial discovery lists, with their ordering explained on the page; they are not personalised savings rankings.
Sources and corrections
Issuer product pages, key fact sheets and dated notices are the evidence for card terms. A card’s last-check date does not certify every related article or every field. Unresolved claims and incomplete calculations are identified separately. We link the supporting issuer documents on card pages and in articles. Partner commissions are not inputs to the reward calculator.