Premium Card Credit Capture Index
Across 10 premium cards, issuers market $9,960 in credits. A realistic optimizer captures about 44%. See the math credit by credit.
How we estimate capture rates
Every credit on every card here is assigned a capture rate between 0 and 100 percent. The rate reflects what an active reward optimizer redeems in a typical year, not what the issuer prints on its marketing page. The same rubric applies to every card so comparisons across issuers are like-for-like.
| Credit type | Example | Base capture |
|---|---|---|
| Broad, annual, no activation | CSR $300 travel credit | 80–100% |
| Specific brand or portal, monthly or quarterly | Amex Plat Uber Cash, Resy | 40–70% |
| Niche subscription, requires existing service | Equinox, Oura, Function Health | 10–30% |
Three adjustments apply on top of the base rate:
- Monthly use-it-or-lose-it cadence: subtract about 10 percent for forgotten months.
- Portal-only booking: subtract about 15 percent for booking inflexibility and price competition.
- Activation required each period: subtract about 10 percent.
Each credit row in the dashboard shows the resulting capture rate plus a one-sentence reason so you can audit the assumption and adjust your own math if you disagree.
Non-dollar perks (lounge access, elite status, trip insurance, primary rental coverage) are excluded because they vary too much by user to publish a single number. The per-card calculators on CardSavvy let you add lounge and other-benefit values for your specific situation.
Use, embed, and cite the data
The downloadable CSV contains one row per card credit, including face value, estimated capture rate, realistic value, cadence, reasoning, verification date, and a methodology link. Publishers may embed the chart with an iframe that points to https://card-savvy.com/embed/credit-capture and links back to this page.
Cite the dataset as CardSavvy Research, Premium Card Credit Capture Index. Do not attribute the dataset to an individual author, contributor, maintainer, or reviewer.
Update history and corrections
2026-05-20: Initial public index using the shared capture-rate rubric and per-credit reasoning.
Material fee, benefit, or methodology changes receive a new verification date and an update note. Typographic changes do not. Report a discrepancy to support@card-savvy.com with the relevant issuer source.
See how these cards fit your wallet
The tracker shows realistic credit value for each card in isolation. The CardSavvy optimizer takes your spending and existing cards and tells you which premium card actually earns more than its net effective fee for you.
Run the optimizerFee and credit values reflect published issuer terms as of 2026-05-20. Benefits, credits, enrollment requirements, partners, and earning rules can change without notice. Capture rates are estimates for an active reward optimizer; your actual use may differ. Not financial advice.