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Our methodology
Every ranking here rests on one scoring model, and the weights behind that model stay the same across all the options we list. Trust carries the largest share at 40%. Running close behind is cost at 35%, while the offer on the table accounts for 25%. Because those proportions never shift, you can compare one ranking entry with another without wondering whether a different question was asked.
You will meet providers in two forms. The strongest contenders get full reviews, and the rest of the same category appear as shorter profiles. Both are built from the same figures, so a profile is a summary rather than a softer standard, and the ordering between the two does not change how a brand is judged.
Where those figures come from matters as much as the arithmetic applied to them. We work from official brand pages, regulator registers and other cited sources, and every statement in a comparison is traceable to the material it came from. If a figure is not in those materials, it does not enter the score, which is why a shorter profile can look sparse next to a full write-up.
Partners are listed first in every ranking, then by score. That placement is deliberate and worth understanding: a partner placement tells you how a provider pays to appear, not what the account is like to hold. Read the score beside it rather than as part of it.
This page explains how VaultCue scores and ranks accounts.
What we cover
This site compares everyday accounts, savings, money transfer.
What we score
Every account is scored on a scale of 1 to 10 on the criteria below. The overall score is the weighted average of these criteria.
| Criterion | Weight |
|---|---|
| Cost | 35% |
| Offer | 25% |
| Trust | 40% |
How rankings are ordered
Rankings apply the following priorities in order; a later priority only breaks a tie in the earlier ones:
- Accounts with a paid offer serving the current view come before those without one.
- Within each of those groups, accounts available in your country come first, followed by those marked unavailable.
- Within each availability group, accounts marked as lacking a required licence come after the others.
- Where these priorities tie, affiliate network links come before our own referral or direct partner links.
- Among network offers, an offer explicitly listing your country comes before a broad default offer. Within each of those groups, known expected commission per click comes before unknown values, and higher expected commission comes first. Ties are broken by commission terms (lifetime, revenue share, then per sale or lead) and then higher payout. For referral or direct partner offers, only explicitly listing your country breaks the commercial tie; their payout is not used as expected commission per click.
- Only after all the earlier priorities tie do rated accounts come before those marked "not rated yet", followed by higher overall score.
When no country is selected, eligible active offers serving at least one country qualify for the paid group, including offers limited to particular countries. We use the highest recorded expected commission per click across an offer's base value and country values. When a country is selected, its value is used where recorded, otherwise the offer's base value applies.
A account with a lower score can therefore appear above one with a higher score because of the earlier priorities. Featured cards and sponsor strips sit outside the ranking. A booked placement is labelled "Sponsored"; when none is booked, the featured card shows a partner picked by the commission it pays us, labelled "Featured".
Countries
Global rankings list every relevant account. When a account does not accept customers from your country, we mark it and point you to an alternative. Country pages list only accounts available in that country.
Sources
Facts come from each account's own website and documents, public registers, affiliate network listings and other published sources, including independent reviews. Each fact on a page shows its source link and the date we checked it. When a account publishes no country list, its countries come from its affiliate programme listings, and the page says so. The editorial policy explains how facts are checked.
Keeping it current
Scores change when the facts behind them change. A ranking is published once at least five accounts in it are scored, and a account gets a review page once enough of its key facts are confirmed. Spot a mistake? Write to [email protected].
This page is written by the VaultCue Editorial Team.