Cite Cardocrat Data
Cardocrat data is free to cite for journalists, bloggers, and researchers. All we ask is a link back to the page you are referencing. Our numbers come from analyzing every major U.S. credit card with a single honest standard: every point and mile valued at a flat 1 cent, with no inflated airline or hotel valuations.
Quotable statistics (2026)
These are current as of June 2026 and refresh as offers change. Lift any of them with a link to Cardocrat.
- Cardocrat analyzed 116 active U.S. credit cards from 15 issuers, valuing every point at a flat 1 cent.
- 40 of 116 cards (34%) charge no annual fee.
- The average annual fee across the lineup is $167.
- The average welcome bonus is worth $804 at a flat 1 cent per point, and the largest is $3,000.
- 29 of the cards are currently running limited-time welcome offers above their usual amount.
- 39 of 116 cards earn transferable or poolable points that can move to airline and hotel partners.
- The top everyday earners are the American Express® Gold on dining and the American Express® Blue Cash Preferred on groceries.
How to cite us
Plain text
Source: Cardocrat, 2026 (cardocrat.com)
HTML link
<a href="https://cardocrat.com/state-of-rewards/">Cardocrat</a>
For a specific figure, link to the study it comes from so readers can see the methodology.
The source studies
The State of Credit Card Rewards: fees, reward-currency mix, welcome bonuses, and category leaders
The Real First-Year Return of Every Card: value on average household spending
The Biggest Credit Card Welcome Bonuses: every offer ranked by 1-cent value
Which Bank Has the Best Credit Card Rewards: issuer showdown by transfer partners, return, and fees
How Much Can You Earn: bonus efficiency and annual earning potential by spender
The Best Business Card for Average Business Spending: business cards ranked by net rewards
Need a custom data point?
Want a statistic we have not published, a chart, or a quote for a story? Email bryce@cardocrat.com and we will help. We can usually pull a custom number from the dataset quickly.
Methodology. Figures are computed from the 116 active (non-legacy) cards in the Cardocrat database across 15 issuers, verified against issuer sources as of June 2026. Every point and mile is valued at a flat 1 cent. Category leaders exclude cards locked to a single airline or hotel program. Data and analysis by Cardocrat; free to cite with attribution and a link.
