How We Make Money

The short version

GeekPenny is free to read. We make money in three ways:

1. Affiliate commissions — when a reader applies through a tracked link to a featured provider, the provider may pay us a one-time commission. Most lenders, card issuers, and merchant-services partners work this way.
2. Lead-generation fees — when a reader requests quotes through a form on our site, we may share their contact details with a small set of vetted partners who pay us a fee per qualified lead. We always disclose this on the form itself, and you can opt out. See Privacy & Lead Handling for full details.
3. Display advertising — a small share of revenue comes from third-party display ads served alongside our content.

What advertisers cannot buy

• A higher score on a review
• A spot on a best-of list
• A change to a comparison or vs. page
• The removal of a critical fact
• Veto power over upcoming coverage

Our scoring rubrics — defined in Review Methodology — apply equally to providers we partner with and providers we don't.

What advertisers can buy

• Tracked links to their application page on a review or best-of we already publish
• Display-ad placements clearly labeled as "Advertisement" or "Sponsored"
• Co-branded lead-form placements clearly labeled as "Featured partner"

Editorial firewall

Writers and editors don't see partnership status or commission rates when they research, draft, score, or rank a product. The business team can request that we evaluate a provider for coverage, but the decision to publish, the score, and the placement are made by editorial alone.

Pricing you see

The rates, APRs, and fees you see on GeekPenny are the same as what you'd find going directly to the provider. We don't mark up products.

Questions

Email editorial@geekpenny.comwith any question about our business model or a specific partnership.