This page is the single reference for how Sweepbase produces its crypto card data: where each fact comes from, how we verify it, how often we refresh it, how we stay independent of the issuers we cover, and how we handle mistakes. It consolidates the policies that also appear on our methodology and disclosure pages.
Sourcing
Every field in our card database is collected from primary sources only. We do not aggregate from other comparison sites, scrape user reviews, or accept issuer submissions without independent verification.
Official issuer documentation: fee schedules, terms of service, and product pages
Regulatory disclosures: FCA, FinCEN, and EU MiCA filings where applicable
Press releases: only when sourced from the issuer's verified channels
Hands-on where possible: a subset of cards are held and used directly; the rest are researched from the primary sources above
Full sourcing notes and the per-factor rating inputs are documented on the rating methodology page, and the public dataset itself is available on our dataset page.
Verification
Before a value is published, it is checked against the issuer's current published terms. Cards we have held are labelled Tested hands-on; cards researched from documentation are labelled Verified against issuer docs, so you always know whether a claim came from our own wallet or from the issuer's terms. When we test a card first-hand, this is the process:
1Applied & onboardedSigned up through the issuer’s live application flow, not a press kit or demo.
2Completed KYCWent through identity verification to the point the card was actually issued.
3Loaded cryptoFunded the card with crypto and confirmed the top-up mechanics work as advertised.
4Spent in-storeMade live point-of-sale and online purchases with the card.
5Verified FX & settlementChecked the conversion rate and fees against the statement, down to the decimal.
Update cadence
Weekly: full database review, every Monday
48 hours: SLA on confirmed fee changes after the issuer is verified
Quarterly: rating formula review and weight reassessment
Continuous: reader-reported corrections processed within 5 business days
Every change to the dataset is logged with before/after values on our data changelog, and card pages carry a "Last reviewed" date so you can see how fresh each entry is.
Independence & conflict of interest
Sweepbase earns revenue through affiliate partnerships with some card issuers. We disclose that relationship plainly, and we structure the product so it cannot distort the data:
Affiliate status buys exactly one thing: a flat +0.3 Editor's Pick bonus, applied identically to every card with a verified partner link. Merit factors control up to +2.3 / -0.7 points, so the bonus cannot lift a weak card into the top tier. See the cap explained on the methodology page.
No paid rankings. No issuer can pay for inclusion, a higher score, or a better position in filtered listings. Sponsored content, if it ever appears, is labelled "Sponsored".
Single-operator disclosure. Sweepbase is currently a one-person operation: the same editor researches the data and reviews it. We mitigate that by publishing the full, reproducible scoring formula so any reader can independently check a rating against the public data.
The full commercial picture — affiliate networks, revenue use, and FTC compliance — is in our Affiliate Disclosure.
Corrections
If a value does not match the issuer's current published terms, we want to fix it. Reader-submitted corrections feed directly into the next weekly review, and confirmed fee changes are applied within 48 hours.
Report a data error from the Report a data error button on any card page
Suggest a card we are missing on the submit a card page
