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CardRatings Announces the Best Credit Cards of 2021 and Releases Its Annual Consumer SurveyFOSTER CITY, Calif., Nov. 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CardRatings.com today releases its picks for the Best Credit Cards of 2021. The credit card ratings site was one of the first to curate a Best Credit Cards list and has more than 10 years of experience analyzing and ranking cards across multiple categories. In-house credit card experts review and analyze hundreds of cards on the market to create this annual compilation intended to make it easier for consumers to find the card that best meets their needs and lifestyle. This year's list covers 11 distinct categories, ranging from cash-back rewards cards to luxury cards to cards for rebuilding credit and many others. A few of the picks include: Best Credit Cards for 2021
"We build the CardRatings Best of 2021 list by looking at two sets of data," explains Brooklyn Lowery, the senior managing editor for CardRatings. "First, we review the fine print details and features of each credit card as they relate to similar cards; and, for the second consecutive year, we consider the scores actual cardholders gave in our credit card user survey. Both sets of reviews have tremendous value for real-world cardholders. As experts, we can help decipher and point out the details lay people may not notice and real-world cardholders can score aspects like customer service, how they actually use rewards, website usability and more." The ratings site polled more than 1,700 cardholders nationwide on 77 different cards to determine their views on the cards they use on a regular basis. The cards presented in the survey were chosen by popularity from the CardRatings website analytics from Jan. 1-Aug. 31, 2020, with additional cards selected by experts as needed to create breadth in the survey. Notable Consumer Scores
For instance, even though hotel and airline credit cards saw an overall decrease, individual cards saw an increase. The Delta Skymiles® Gold American Express Card saw an overall score improvement of 5.6 points. Yet, the United ExplorerSM Card declined overall by 4.4 points. Meanwhile, scores for travel cards overall remain flat since last year, but some cards saw a jump in preference scores such as the Mastercard® Black Card™ - up 7.7 points from last year. Conversely, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® card saw the largest drop among travel rewards cards even though it was the leading card a few years ago. "The fact that travel rewards card scores were overall unaffected by the decline in travel could indicate that cardholders are confident in their ability to travel again soon and they are banking rewards until that time. However, it could also be a reflection of the steps many banks took during the pandemic to roll out new features, rewards and benefits for these cards in an effort to continue offering cardholders good value during an unusual year," Lowery notes. Readers can find the credit card scores under the User Scores tab for each individual card that made the experts Best Credit Cards of 2021 list. In the coming weeks, the scores for additional surveyed cards will roll out along with associated reviews. The main Best of 2021 compilation is just one of several "Best credit cards" lists that CardRatings curates. Others offer more nuanced choices under broad topics including "Best Cash-Back Credit Cards," "Best Travel Rewards Credit Cards," Best Credit Cards for Dining Out" and more. Survey Methodology Ranking Methodology For the complete list and breakdown of the rankings and survey analysis please visit the Best Credit Cards of 2021 Lowery is available for comment. She can expand on why certain cards and categories saw declines in scores or, in some cases, large jumps. Lowery is the resident credit card expert for CardRatings and specializes in helping everyday credit card users get the most out of their rewards. About CardRatings CardRatings innovated online credit card ratings and has been offering independent ratings and reviews of credit card offers since 1998. The website collects and maintains data on more than 700 credit card offers and carefully compiles objective lists of the top credit cards by card type, making it easy for consumers to find the right card to fit their needs. Sign up for the bimonthly newsletter here. Twitter: @CardRatings Media Contact View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cardratings-announces-the-best-credit-cards-of-2021-and-releases-its-annual-consumer-survey-301179178.html SOURCE CardRatings.com |