How we score every crypto card.
Every rate, fee and figure on this site comes from a documented process, not a gut call. This page explains exactly where the data comes from, how the score is built, and what to do if something looks wrong.
Where every figure comes from
A comparison is only as good as its source data. Here's the process behind every number on the site.
Fee schedules, reward tables and eligibility rules are read from each issuer's published terms — not from press releases or marketing pages, which round up or omit conditions.
Where we can, we hold or trial the card ourselves — a published "up to" rate and the rate you actually reach are often two different numbers.
There is no fixed cycle that re-checks every card at once. Each card page shows the date its data was last verified, so you can see how fresh a figure is instead of trusting a blanket claim.
When a reader flags something that looks off, we check it against the issuer's own terms before changing anything. A report alone doesn't move a number, and reports are not a scoring input.
Four criteria, equally weighted
Each criterion counts for a quarter of a card's score, on a 1–5 scale. A card is scored only when all four are assessed.
Annual or monthly fee, FX, ATM, top-up and card fees on the default plan — the full cost of holding and using the card. A 5 means no fees and FX under 0.5%; FX up to 1% with no recurring fees is 4.5; up to 2% is 4; top-up or transaction fees of 3% or more score 2.
What it takes to reach the reward rate we score: nothing (5), a spend level or balance up to $1,000 (4.5), a withdrawable balance up to $5,000, a small token holding or a plan up to $100 a year (4), a pricier plan (3.5), or a large locked stake (2). A card loses 0.5 if its advertised headline rate is more than twice the rate we score, and 1 if more than four times. Standard identity checks (KYC) are not counted against a card.
Judged for a reference user spending $1,500 a month, on the best tier they can realistically reach: nothing locked, any required balance withdrawable and no more than $5,000, any issuer-token holding withdrawable and no more than $500, and any paid plan only if its extra rewards exceed its fee (counted after the fee). After caps, 3.5% or more scores 5, 2.5% 4.5, 2% 4, 1.5% 3.5, 1% 3 and 0.5% 2.5. Rewards paid only in the issuer's own token lose 0.5. Savings yield is not counted.
Whether the issuer has honoured its published terms over time, how clear and consistent those terms are, and how confident we are in the data. It does not measure popularity or reader sentiment.
What a score does and doesn't measure
Where you live is a filter, not a score
A card offered only in one country is not a worse card — it is simply not an option elsewhere. Availability decides whether a card appears for you; it never lowers a score.
Custody is a preference
Self-custody and custodial cards suit different people. Neither scores higher for its custody model; it only counts in the Card Finder when you ask for one.
Unknown is not no
When we haven't confirmed a feature, it is shown as unknown — never as a missing feature, and never as a yes. Unknown doesn't count for or against a card.
A bigger headline rate is not a better card
Top reward rates usually sit behind staking, a paid plan or a cap. We don't rank by advertised rate; where you can sort by it, it is labelled as the advertised figure.
More data is not a better card
A card with a long, complete profile is not scored higher than one with a short profile. Completeness affects how confident we are, not how good the card is.
Affiliate deals have zero input
Whether a card pays us a commission is not an input to the score, the Card Finder, or the order of any list.
How lists and matches are ordered
Scores are all-or-nothing
A card gets a score only once all four criteria have been assessed. A card without one is labelled "not yet scored" — we don't publish an average of the parts we happened to fill in.
Unscored cards stay neutral
In lists ordered by score, cards not yet scored keep an alphabetical position. They are not pushed to the bottom for lacking a score, or lifted above cards that have one.
Card Finder
Removes cards not offered in your country and cards that are paused or discontinued. Then ranks by how many of your chosen preferences each card meets, then fewest confirmed mismatches, with our score deciding ties between scored cards. A result is only called "best match" when we can say why it is ahead of the next one.
Category and homepage picks
"Highest score" picks come from fully scored cards only. Picks like "lowest FX fee" use that one figure, and say so.
Rates and fees move, and we don't catch every change the moment it happens. If a figure on the site doesn't match what the issuer is currently offering, tell us the card and what looks off. We check it against the issuer's own terms and, once confirmed, correct the figure and update its verification date.
Report a correction →Some issuers pay us a referral fee when a reader applies through our link. That relationship has zero input into the score, the Card Finder or the order of any list — a commission-paying card and a commission-free card are assessed on the exact same four criteria, and we say so in full in our disclosure.
Read the full disclosure →What we don't do
Nothing on cryptocards.one is financial, tax or legal advice. Confirm final terms with the issuer before applying — rates and eligibility can vary by region and change without notice.
About how we work
Does an issuer paying you a referral fee affect the ranking?
No. Some issuers pay us when a reader applies through our link. That relationship has no input into the score, the Card Finder or the order of any list — cards that pay us nothing are assessed on exactly the same four criteria.
How often is the data checked?
Cards are re-checked individually rather than all at once on a fixed cycle, so each card page shows the date its data was last verified. When we confirm a change in the issuer's terms, we update the figure and that date.
Why do some cards say "not yet scored"?
A score is published only when all four criteria — cost, conditions, rewards and reliability — have been assessed. Until then the card shows its data without a score, and in lists ordered by score it keeps a neutral alphabetical position rather than being pushed down.
Why doesn't a card with an "up to 8%" rate get a top Rewards score?
Because most people never reach it. Rewards are judged for someone spending $1,500 a month, on the best tier they can realistically reach: nothing locked up, any required balance withdrawable and no more than $5,000, any issuer-token holding withdrawable and no more than $500, and any paid plan only if it pays for itself. A rate that needs a locked or large stake isn't counted, and a headline rate far above what we score lowers the card's Conditions score.
Does a card lose points for being available in fewer countries?
No. Where a card is offered decides whether it is an option for you, not how good it is. The Card Finder removes cards not offered in your country; the score itself ignores geography.
What happens when I report an error?
We check the specific figure against the issuer's own terms — we don't change a number on a report alone. Once confirmed, the correction goes live and the card's verification date is updated.
Why do two sites show different numbers for the same card?
Usually one of three reasons: the rate changed since one of the sites last checked, the figure is region-specific and only one variant is being shown, or a promotional rate is being quoted as if it were the standing rate. We show the standing rate and note promotions separately where they exist.
Is this financial advice?
No. We compare publicly available card terms so you can make your own decision faster. Nothing on this site is financial, tax or legal advice, and you should confirm final terms with the issuer before applying.
See it applied to a real card
Every card page shows the same figures this methodology explains, dated and sourced.