Safety check methodology
Every card is scored out of 100 on eight factors, each with a published source.
| Factor | Points |
|---|---|
| Licensing | Tier-one bank or e-money licence 20, other regulated 12, unregulated or undisclosed 0 |
| Program manager and BIN sponsor disclosed | Both 10, one 5, neither 0 |
| Custody | Self-custody 10, hybrid 7, custodial 4 |
| Fund segregation | Disclosed 15, not disclosed 5, no 0 |
| Proof of reserves | Published within 90 days 10, older 5, none 0 |
| Incident history | Starts at 20. Minus 8 per incident in the last 12 months and 4 per incident 12 to 36 months ago. Enforcement actions count double. Floor 0. |
| Terms and fee transparency | Full 10, partial 5, none 0 |
| Network | Visa or Mastercard 5, other 3 |
Bands
Strong from 80, Adequate from 60, Caution from 40, High risk from 0.
Tier-one licensing
A tier-one issuer is a bank or e-money institution regulated in the EU or EEA, the UK, the US, Singapore, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Canada or Australia.
Data rules
- Values come from the issuer’s own website or terms, or from a regulator. Third-party review sites are never a source.
- Every value records the page it came from and the date it was checked.
- An unknown value is recorded as unknown and shown as “Not disclosed”. It is never estimated.
- A card is scored only after every factor has been checked. Until then its report shows the facts without a score.
- Data older than 60 days is flagged for review, and data older than 120 days blocks a release until it is rechecked.
Corrections
Each report has a correction form. A disputed factor is marked “Under review” on the report within 7 days, and the outcome is logged. The editorial policy covers the full process.