How We Calculate Credit Card Rewards

When discussing credit card rewards, it is difficult to determine the amount of credit card rewards a consumer will earn as it varies heavily with their monthly spending. In order to determine the value of credit card rewards earned, we determined estimated spending in each category that we believe accurately represents our readers. We use the below amounts of monthly spending to determine the reward value of different credit cards. Even if this doesn't perfectly match up with your spending, we hope it can serve as a reasonable metric to compare credit cards.


Monthly Spending to Determine Credit Card Rewards
Spending Category Monthly Spending
Grocery $250
Eating Out $200
Daily Transit/Gas $150
Drug Store $50
Entertainment $50
Travel $150
Bills $150
Other $400
Total Monthly Spending $1400

It is important also to note to compare high-income and luxury cards we use the following table instead, as we feel it better represents the spending of those that qualify for these cards (i.e. those making over $200,000).


Monthly Spending for High Income Cards
Spending Category Monthly Spending
Grocery $350
Eating Out $400
Daily Transit/Gas $200
Drug Store $100
Entertainment $150
Travel $450
Bills $350
Other $800
Total Monthly Spending $2800
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