How We Make Money From Credit Card Reviews
CreditCardSignups.com (the "Site") is free to read. There is no subscription, no paywall and no charge for the tools. The Site is paid for by third-party affiliate and advertising partners, and this page explains how that works in plain language.
A click becomes revenue only after an approval
Most card reviews and rankings include an offer link, usually labeled "See current offer", "Apply Now" or "Compare featured offers". When you click it, a link on our domain records an anonymous click event (no name, no email, no IP address) and forwards you to the partner's or issuer's site with referral parameters that identify us as the referring publisher. If you complete an application and the issuer approves it, the partner pays us a referral fee.
That is the whole model. We are not paid when you read a review, when you click without applying, or when an application is declined. The amount varies by card and by partner, and it changes over time. We never see your application, your personal details or the issuer's decision.
Who the partners are
Our partners are third-party affiliate and advertising companies that connect publishers with card issuers. We do not name them on the Site, and the relationship does not give any partner or issuer a say in what we write. the operator of CreditCardSignups.com is not a bank, lender or card issuer, and no partner is either. Approval is always the issuer's decision.
What the money changes
Compensation affects placement. It can determine which cards are featured on the home page and at the top of hubs, and the order in which featured cards appear. Inside a category hub, cards are ordered by editorial rank first. When two cards have the same rank, compensation breaks the tie. Compensation can also determine whether a card has a paying offer link at all. Those are the only ways compensation touches what you see.
What the money does not change
A card's rating, the content of its review and whether we recommend it do not depend on compensation. Ratings come from four sub-ratings (rewards, benefits, fees and flexibility) scored on the same scale for every card. A card that pays us nothing can outrank a card that pays us well, because editorial rank comes first. Partners do not review or approve content before it is published, and no partner can buy a rating.
Cards without a paying link
Some cards on the Site have no partner relationship. They appear because readers compare them, and they are rated by the same method as every other card. They carry no offer link of their own. Their pages link to our review and to the issuer's terms page, and they may show a general link to featured partner offers, which pays us only if you apply through it and are approved. Paying links come and go as partner relationships change, and a change in the link never changes the rating. A card that pays us nothing is not marked down for it, and a card that pays us is not marked up.
What you should do with this
Apply only for a card that fits how you actually spend and what you can manage. Do not apply through our links to support the Site. The economics work when a reader gets a card that suits them, and they fail for everyone when someone applies for a card they should not have. If a card we rate highly does not suit you, skip it.
Before you apply, read the issuer's current terms. Offers change without notice, and the issuer's terms control. Approval is the issuer's decision, and neither reading the Site nor clicking our link improves your odds.
Where to read more
The Advertiser Disclosure is the formal statement of these relationships. The Editorial Policy explains how ratings, rankings and corrections work. The Privacy Policy describes the click event in detail. Partnership inquiries go to partnerships@creditcardsignups.com.