How the effective % is calculated
For your monthly spend we run each card's real earning rules, stacking cashback bands, per-tier spend caps and reward caps, then subtract every cost that hits in year one: annual and monthly fees, one-time card costs, and (if you opt in) the opportunity cost of any capital you'd need to stake. The result is divided by your annual spend to give a single, comparable effective cashback rate. We rank by the net dollars you keep, so the card at the top pays you the most.
Where a tier requires holding or staking a card's native token, we take a deliberately conservative view and assume that capital loses 15% of its value over the year, a real cost we subtract from your cashback, since these tokens are volatile. If a tier can instead be unlocked by spending enough (a volume or points program), we use that path when your spend qualifies and lock up no capital, so no depreciation applies.
How we make money
We may earn a commission when you sign up through links on this page. This doesn't cost you anything and doesn't affect our rankings. Cards are ordered purely by the cashback you'd earn. We're not the card issuer; always confirm the latest terms with the provider before signing up.
Card terms are researched and illustrative, and may be out of date. Nothing here is financial advice.
