Editorial & Fact-Checking Policy

How we research, write, check, rate and correct every page on CreditCardCompare.

Every page on CreditCardCompare is researched from primary sources, checked by a second person before it is published, dated, and corrected openly when something changes. This page explains how.

Where our information comes from

  • Card issuers: the card's terms and conditions, rates and fees table (the "Schumer box" in the US), the issuer's product page and its help centre.
  • Regulators and government: the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Federal Trade Commission in the US; the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, the Canada Revenue Agency and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre in Canada; and the equivalent bodies in the UK and Australia.
  • Card networks and brands: Visa, Mastercard, American Express and the gift card brands' own balance and help pages.

We do not copy figures from other comparison sites. If a detail can only be found in a secondary source, we say so on the page or leave it out.

How a page is written and checked

  1. A writer drafts the page from the primary sources above. We use software tools, including AI writing assistants, to help draft and structure pages.
  2. A second member of the team checks every fee, rate, date and rule against the source and confirms each external link goes to the official issuer, brand or government site.
  3. The page is published with the date it was checked. Card fees and rates are re-checked when issuers announce changes and during regular reviews of each section.

Safety rules for activation and gift card pages

We link only to the issuer's or brand's own website or app. We never ask for card numbers, PINs or one-time codes, and we never link to third-party "balance checkers". Phone numbers are shown only when they are printed on the official site.

How we rate cards

Ratings weigh the value a typical cardholder gets (rewards and benefits they are likely to use) against the costs (annual fee, interest, foreign transaction and other fees), plus approval requirements and consumer protections. Commercial relationships play no part in a rating.

Independence

Advertisers and card issuers do not review, approve or edit our content before it is published. How the site earns money is explained in our advertiser disclosure.

Corrections

If you find an error, please contact us with the page and, if you can, a link to the issuer's source. We check the report against the primary source, update the page, and change its "updated" date. Significant corrections are noted on the page.

This site provides general information, not financial advice. Always confirm current terms on the issuer's website before you apply.