How We Rank Cards

The exact criteria behind every ranked card list on this site - transfer reach to Tel Aviv, earning speed on real frum household spending, and fees.

Facts verified September 2026 Independent, community-run

By Ari Klein · Last updated . Facts on this page are verified against live sources on the date shown - see the note at the bottom for which ones.

Every guide on this site ends with a ranked list of cards. The order is not vibes and it is not whoever pays more. It is the same five criteria every time, weighed against the specific goal of the page you are reading.

The five criteria

  1. Transfer reach to Tel Aviv. Does the card’s points currency reach the programs that actually book Israel flights - Qantas (El Al), Flying Blue, Aeroplan, United, LifeMiles? A card that cannot reach the right program is out, however good its earning rate.
  2. Earning speed on real spending. We weight the categories where a frum household’s money actually goes: groceries, food, tuition-era everyday bills, travel itself. A 4x category you use weekly beats a 5x category you use twice a year.
  3. Welcome-bonus math. Can a normal household hit the spend requirement without manufacturing it, and does the bonus alone reach a one-way or round-trip to Israel?
  4. Real annual fee. Net of credits a family will actually use. A $395 fee with a usable $300 travel credit counts as $95, not as “basically free” and not as $395.
  5. Israel-specific friction. Foreign transaction fees for spending in shekels, trip protections that matter on an 11-hour flight, and whether the card’s portal fights you on El Al bookings.

What changes between pages

The goal changes, the criteria do not. On the main card rankings the winner is the best all-around earner. On the business-class guide transfer reach to United and LifeMiles weighs more. On the yom tov page fixed-chart access weighs more. Same ruler, different race.

What we do not do

Criteria published September 10, 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Do referral commissions decide your rankings?

No. The ranking criteria on this page are fixed before links are added, and the same criteria apply whether a card has a referral link or not. When a card we recommend has no link, we recommend it anyway - and say so.

Why do rankings differ between pages?

Each page ranks for its own goal. The best card for groceries is not the best card for a business-class seat, so the same cards can appear in a different order. The criteria on this page stay constant; the goal changes the order.