The Short Version
The Cash Genie earns money when you click on credit card links on our site and get approved for a card. This is called affiliate marketing, and it's how we keep the site free for you to use.
Important: You never pay extra because of our affiliate relationships. The terms you see are the same terms you'd get going directly to the card issuer.
How Affiliate Marketing Works
When you click "Apply Now" or similar links on our site:
- You're taken to the credit card issuer's website
- If you apply and get approved, the issuer pays us a referral fee
- This fee comes from the issuer's marketing budget—not from you
This model lets us provide detailed card comparisons, calculators, and educational content at no cost to you.
Does This Affect Our Recommendations?
We'd be lying if we said compensation has zero influence—the reality is that higher-paying partnerships help us sustain the business. However, we've built safeguards to keep our content honest:
✓ We show cards that don't pay us
Many cards in our database have no affiliate relationship with us. We include them because they're good products our users should know about.
✓ We highlight cons, not just pros
Every card review includes honest drawbacks. A card with a big affiliate payout but poor value won't get a glowing review from us.
✓ Our algorithms are spend-based
Our card finder quiz and rewards calculator base recommendations on your actual spending patterns—not on which cards pay us most.
✓ We disclose affiliate relationships
Look for our "Advertiser Disclosure" notices throughout the site. We're required to include these, and we're happy to—transparency matters.
What We Don't Do
- We don't sell your personal information
- We don't charge you to use our tools or read our content
- We don't accept payment to write positive reviews
- We don't hide cards just because they don't have affiliate programs
Other Revenue Sources
Beyond credit card affiliates, we may also earn money from:
- Personal loan referrals — Similar to credit cards, we may earn fees when users apply for loans through our partners
- Display advertising — We may show ads on certain pages
Questions?
We believe in being open about how we operate. If you have questions about our business model or how we make recommendations, reach out to us at hello@thecashgenie.com.