This article investigates the effects of ordinal product ratings (i.e., product ratings such as stars, diamonds, etc.) when they are superfluous, meaning they are arbitrary and redundant. It finds that ratings do influence willingness to pay even when they are superfluous. When superfluous product ratings are included in a menu, they prompt individuals to categorize products by rating; this categorization exaggerates willingness to pay for products in the highest and lowest ratings tiers (i.e., at the extremes). In the study reported here, participants indicated their willingness to pay for multiple products in five product categories while the presence of superfluous ratings is manipulated. Results reveal an expansion effect ; that is, the mere presence of superfluous product ratings in a menu can expand the range of willingness to pay for the products in the menu without influencing perceived quality. Results further reveal the natural consequence of the expansion effect, the rating effect ; that is, changing a product’s superfluous rating can change willingness to pay for that product, even when its quality remains constant. These findings suggest that prior research overstates the information effects of product ratings and that firms may be able to act more strategically when deciding: 1) whether to include ratings in their menus; 2) what decision rule they use to assign ratings; and 3) how to craft their product menus to maximize profits.