Perplexity cites a comparison site such as NerdWallet or Bankrate in 93% of its answers about credit cards and loans, against 21.4% for ChatGPT, which leans on the government's consumerfinance.gov and bank websites instead. Across five AI engines, 59% of sourced credit card and loan answers cite at least one comparison site.
Analysis of 2,603 AI answers with sources to 469 credit card and loan questions · answers from ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI features, September 2026
Key Findings
- 1.Perplexity cites a comparison site in 93% of its credit card and loan answers, against 21.4% for ChatGPT.
- 2.59% of AI answers about credit cards and loans cite at least one comparison site such as NerdWallet or Bankrate.
- 3.NerdWallet is the most-cited website in AI answers about credit cards and loans, appearing in 27.4% of sourced answers, followed by Bankrate at 24.4%.
- 4.ChatGPT's most-cited source for credit card and loan questions is the government's consumerfinance.gov, in 30.3% of its sourced answers, followed by Capital One (19%) and Chase (18.2%).
- 5.Comparison sites make up 28.4% of the citations in the average AI answer about credit cards and loans.
Summary
Ask Perplexity which travel credit card to get and nearly every answer will cite a comparison site: NerdWallet, Bankrate, The Points Guy. Ask ChatGPT and you are more likely to be pointed to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau or a bank's own product page. Same question, two very different sets of advisers.
When someone asks an AI engine which credit card or loan to get, the answer often draws on comparison publishers. Because the AI summarises those pages, readers see the recommendation before they see the source. For banks, lenders and card issuers, the route to an AI recommendation often runs through a handful of comparison publishers, and which handful depends on the engine.
The split is wide. Perplexity cites a comparison site in 93% of its credit card and loan answers, and Google's AI features in more than 85%, while ChatGPT does so in 21.4%. Across all five engines, 59% of sourced answers cite at least one.
What we measured
On September 23, 2026 we asked ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Google AI Mode and Google AI Overviews 469 questions about credit cards and loans, twice each from a US location. 2,603 answers cited at least one source. For each, we checked whether any source was a comparison site, and what share of the answer's sources such sites made up.
A comparison site is a publisher whose main business is comparing and ranking financial products. Examples include NerdWallet, Bankrate, Credit Karma, The Points Guy, WalletHub, LendingTree and similar sites. A sourced answer is one that lists at least one source link, and every share in this study is a share of sourced answers unless stated.
Perplexity and Google lean hardest on comparison sites
Google AI Mode (86.8%) and Google AI Overviews (85.2%) are close behind, then Gemini at 65.1%. ChatGPT is the outlier at 21.4%, about one answer in five. Part of Perplexity's rate comes from volume: it cites an average of 19.8 sources per credit card or loan answer, against 4.2 for ChatGPT. Google's AI features reach more than 85% with 6.9 and 8.5 sources per answer, so the lean toward comparison sites holds with far fewer sources.
Source: Suff Digital analysis of 2,603 AI answers with sources to 469 credit card and loan questions · answers from ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI features, September 2026
Each engine's favorite source confirms the pattern. Bankrate is the most-cited site on Perplexity, in 67.1% of its answers, with Experian at 66.7%. NerdWallet leads Google AI Mode at 56.8%. Google AI Overviews cites YouTube first (50.2%), with NerdWallet close behind at 48.9%, and Gemini's top source is Bankrate at 29.7%.
| Engine | Most-cited site | Share of answers | Second most-cited site | Share of answers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perplexity | bankrate.com | 67.1% | experian.com | 66.7% |
| Google AI Mode | nerdwallet.com | 56.8% | bankrate.com | 35.3% |
| Google AI Overviews | youtube.com | 50.2% | nerdwallet.com | 48.9% |
| ChatGPT | consumerfinance.gov | 30.3% | capitalone.com | 19% |
| Gemini | bankrate.com | 29.7% | experian.com | 16.6% |
Three in five AI money answers cite a comparison site
Across all five engines, 59% of sourced credit card and loan answers cite at least one comparison site, and in the average answer these sites make up 28.4% of all citations. A comparison site is not a passing mention; it is often one of the main sources an answer is built on.
Source: Suff Digital analysis of 2,603 AI answers with sources to 469 credit card and loan questions · answers from ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI features, September 2026
NerdWallet appears in 27.4% of sourced answers and Bankrate in 24.4%, ahead of Experian (21.1%) and CNBC (16.2%). The government's consumerfinance.gov takes fifth place at 15.4%, a fraction ahead of The Points Guy at 15.3%, mostly because of ChatGPT.
ChatGPT goes to regulators and banks
ChatGPT is the one engine whose top source for credit card and loan questions is a government agency. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's consumerfinance.gov appears in 30.3% of its sourced answers, followed by Capital One's website (19%) and Chase's (18.2%). ChatGPT answers card and loan questions from the regulator and the issuers themselves, and less than a quarter of its answers cite a comparison site.
For a consumer, the engine you pick shapes whose advice you hear. For a bank or card issuer, ChatGPT is the engine where a clear product page on your own website can be cited directly, without a comparison publisher in between.
What this means for banks, lenders and card issuers
If your product is missing from the major comparison sites, it is much less likely to appear in a Google or Perplexity AI answer. Partnerships and PR with those publishers now carry weight in AI search, not only in classic search. Keep your product details, rates and fees current on those sites, since AI engines repeat what they find.
Plan separately for ChatGPT, which cites issuer websites such as Capital One and Chase directly, alongside government sources. That rewards clear, well-structured product pages on your own domain, with rates, fees, eligibility and terms stated plainly. Working with a financial services seo team helps build pages that AI engines can cite directly.
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<p style="font:14px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif">Source: <a href="https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/ai-credit-card-affiliate-sources">Perplexity Cites Comparison Sites in 93% of Credit Card and Loan Answers vs 21.4% for ChatGPT - Suff Digital</a></p>
Cite this study
Suff Digital. (2026). Perplexity Cites Comparison Sites in 93% of Credit Card and Loan Answers vs 21.4% for ChatGPT. https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/ai-credit-card-affiliate-sources
Perplexity Cites Comparison Sites in 93% of Credit Card and Loan Answers vs 21.4% for ChatGPT - Suff Digital - https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/ai-credit-card-affiliate-sources
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