Affiliate Disclosure
Last updated: May 1, 2026
When you click a link on ApprovedCard and get approved for a credit card, we earn a commission from the card issuer. This never costs you anything extra and never changes the terms of the card you receive. It also never changes our ratings — we evaluate every card the same way regardless of whether we have an affiliate deal.
FTC compliance
ApprovedCard complies with the Federal Trade Commission's guidelines on endorsements and testimonials (16 CFR Part 255). We clearly disclose our affiliate relationships on every page that contains affiliate links, including in the banner at the top of each page and within article content where relevant.
How affiliate commissions work
When you click a card link marked with "Apply Now" on our site, you are redirected to the card issuer's official website through an affiliate tracking link. If you complete an application and are approved, the issuer pays ApprovedCard a referral fee. Typical commissions range from $25 to $200 per approved application depending on the card. The commission is paid by the issuer — not deducted from your credit limit or added to your fees.
What our commissions do NOT affect
- Card ratings or scores in our methodology
- The order in which cards appear in our comparison tables (ordered by score, not commission)
- Editorial coverage — we cover cards whether or not we have an affiliate relationship
- Negative coverage — we will note a card's drawbacks regardless of commission status
Cards we cover without commission
We include some cards in our comparisons that we do not have affiliate relationships with, because they are legitimately among the best options for our readers. These are labeled in our comparison tables. We do not have financial incentive to recommend these cards — we include them because they deserve to be included.
Affiliate programs we participate in
We work with card issuers directly and through affiliate networks including Commission Junction (CJ Affiliate) and FlexOffers. Participating issuers include but are not limited to: Discover, Capital One, OpenSky, Credit One Bank, Indigo, First Progress, and Applied Bank.
Questions
If you have questions about our affiliate relationships, contact editorial@approvedcard.guide.