Methodology

Why this page exists

If a site compares options, it owes you the criteria. This page is that disclosure. If a comparison on this site does not follow what is written here, the comparison is wrong and we want to know.

How we choose what to cover

We cover the questions people actually ask about this topic, prioritised by how consequential the decision is and how badly it is served elsewhere. We do not choose topics by what pays best.

How comparisons are ordered

Comparison tables are ordered by the stated criterion for that table — never by what we are paid. Where a row is a commercial partner, it carries a visible Sponsored or Partner label and is styled differently from editorial content. We do not present a partner relationship that does not exist, and where a category has no partner we say so rather than filling the gap.

How calculators work

Every calculator on this site runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is transmitted, stored, or logged. Each one shows the assumptions its maths depends on and a plain statement of what it does not account for. Any tool covering borrowing shows the total cost, total interest, and time to payoff — not the monthly payment alone, because the monthly payment alone is how the expensive option gets sold as the cheap one.

How we handle numbers we cannot source

We write around them. If a rate, premium, threshold, or programme rule cannot be sourced and kept current, it does not appear as a figure — we explain the mechanism instead and link to the official source for the number.

Review and updates

Pages are reviewed on a rolling basis and after any material change to the underlying rules. Where a page depends on figures that change annually, it carries an update line. Corrections are made in place and, where material, noted on the page.

Reviewed on an ongoing basis. Tell us through the contact form if anything here is out of date.