The Effort Index: which cards take the most work?

How we count

Three things add work. Dollars don't count.

For each credit the Card Score (our 0–10 rating) counts, three things add work: how many deadlines it creates a year (a monthly credit adds 12, a quarterly one 4, a twice-a-year credit 2, a yearly one 1); whether you must enroll once or link an app; and whether it only works at certain stores or through the issuer's travel site. Deadlines are divided by 3, each enrollment counts 1, and each restriction counts a half — the total is the card's workload. A card with no scored credits scores 10, and the score drops as the workload grows, on the curve shown on the methodology page.

Credits the score leaves out — per-use perks, one-time bonuses, credits that need heavy spending — add no work, because a typical cardholder ignores them and so does the score.

How to read it

High upkeep isn't a bad grade. It's a cost.

A card at the top of this table can still be the best card in your wallet — if you actually use the credits. Effort is 30% of the Card Score so that a stack of monthly credits doesn't look like free money. Check a card's row here against its list of credits and the reset calendar to see which deadlines you'd really be signing up for.