AI Favors $400-Plus Credit Cards Over Fee-Free Options

Ask an AI engine which credit card is best, and the answers may steer you toward some of the market’s most expensive options.

Premium credit cards with annual fees above $400 appeared in AI citations 5.7 times as often as fee-free cards, according to a new analysis from 5W Public Relations.

5W attributes the disparity to affiliate economics, saying publishers earn higher commissions on premium card approvals and produce more comparison content about them. Because AI engines rely heavily on those publishers, consumers asking for general card recommendations may receive answers weighted toward premium products.

These are just some of the findings of the Credit Cards AI Visibility Index 2026 from 5W. Ronn Torossian, founder and chairman of 5W, said human beings are promoting expensive and premium cards through AI. 

“The fact that AI is favoring expensive cards is not necessarily something that AI is pushing,” Torossian told us. “The reality is if premium, more expensive cards are being pushed, it’s something that affiliates or brands or somebody is making a concerted effort to push.”

Torossian also said AI search is a key way card issuers are reaching out to potential customers.

“When it comes to bank cards, credit card marketing, ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Google AI are serving you up the answer. So there’s no question that AI search is here and it’s here to stay,” Torossian said. 

A 2025 J.D. Power survey found that 51% of consumers had used AI for financial advice or information, with credit scores and credit cards among the most common topics. Meanwhile, a Consumer Reports survey found that 75% of Americans are concerned AI in financial services could lead to bias or unfair treatment.

Torossian also told us Reddit and community reviews are very important to credit card marketing. In fact, 38% of advanced travel card prompts cite Reddit, according to 5W data. Surprisingly, Reddit shows up in only 4% of entry-level, best credit card queries.

Three publishers — The Points Guy, NerdWallet, and Bankrate — dominate credit card citations on AI prompts.

The 5W index looked at 4,200 credit card prompts tested between January and April of this year, and it revealed that these threee websites accounted for more than 62% of source attributions inside ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews answers.

“These are the three sites that AI engines have decided are the most trustworthy. But I would also tell you, these three have most likely done things to make their website very friendly to be read,” Torossian said.

In contrast, issuer-owned domains from Chase, American Express, Capital One, Citibank and Discover made up less than 6% of citations, according to 5W.

Bank of America is one bank that could be doing more with AI to market to credit card customers, according to Torossian. 

“They’re the largest U.S. retail bank by deposit, and they are very much a mid-tier when it comes to how they are being treated and reflected on AI,” Torossian said.

In addition to Bank of America, U.S. Bank is another bank that is not performing as well in AI results relative to competitors.

“That’s most likely a function of Bank of America and U.S. Bank not building their systems properly to be read by AI systems,” Torossian said.

The Apple Card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve, and Capital One Venture X are among the credit cards doing especially well in AI results, he explained.

“It shouldn’t be a surprise that certain brands did better than others, because certain brands are doing a better job of adjusting to what AI requires and what AI looks for when it comes to marketing,” Torossian said.