How We Review Financial Products

Choosing a business bank account, credit card, or accounting software is a critical decision for any founder. To help you make the right choice, we follow a strict methodology when reviewing financial products.

Research sources

We rely exclusively on official primary sources for factual information. We do not use third-party comparison sites or marketing summaries as our source of truth. We pull data directly from:

• Official provider terms and conditions.
• Published fee schedules and tariff guides.
• Regulatory registers (FCA, PRA).

Fee verification

We look beyond the headline "free" or "£0/month" claims. We actively check and document the hidden costs that catch small businesses out, including:

• Cash deposit fees (and minimum charges).
• Foreign exchange (FX) markups and non-sterling transaction fees.
• Transfer fees (CHAPS, SWIFT, SEPA).
• Late payment fees and default interest rates.

Eligibility verification

A great product is useless if you can't get it. We verify exactly who can apply, noting restrictions on:

• Business structure (sole traders vs limited companies).
• Trading history requirements.
• Prohibited or restricted industries.
• Director residency requirements.

Regulatory checks

We clearly state the regulatory status of every banking product we review. We distinguish between:

• Fully licensed banks covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) up to £120,000.
• Electronic Money Institutions (EMIs) that use safeguarding accounts rather than FSCS protection.

Promotion checks

When we feature a promotional offer, sign-up bonus, or referral code, we verify the exact qualifying criteria, including minimum spend requirements, deposit conditions, and deadlines. We date-stamp every offer check so you know how current the information is.

How competitors are considered

We do not review products in isolation. Every review includes a direct comparison with the closest alternatives in the market. We explicitly state "Who it suits" and "Who it may not suit" to help you quickly rule out products that don't fit your trading style.

How affiliate relationships affect our conclusions

They don't. We earn a commission if you apply through some of our links (see our Affiliate Disclosure), but this does not influence our editorial stance. We routinely highlight the flaws, missing features, and high fees of products we partner with. We also recommend and link to products with which we have no commercial relationship.

Review frequency

We review product details, fees, and promotional offers at least every 30 days. If a provider changes a material fee or pulls an offer, we update the review and adjust the "last updated" date.