Affiliate Disclosure
How We Make Money
Canadian Money Guide is funded by two revenue streams. Together they keep the site free for every Canadian who needs it:
- Affiliate commissions — when you click certain links on our site and open an account or complete a qualifying action (such as opening an account, applying for a credit card, or completing a money transfer), the partner pays us a commission at no additional cost to you. This is our largest source of revenue.
- Display advertising — we run Google AdSense (publisher ID
ca-pub-3449886919526292) on most pages of the site. AdSense serves contextual ads and pays us per impression and per click.
We don't charge subscription fees. We don't run a paywall. We don't sell your data. All of our revenue comes from one of the two streams above.
Our Commitment to You
Affiliate relationships and ad placements never influence our recommendations. Every product we compare is evaluated against the same criteria: publicly available rates, fees, features, and user feedback. A product doesn't rank higher because it pays a higher commission or a higher ad rate, and we don't exclude products that don't pay commissions.
In practice, this means:
- Comparison tables include products with and without affiliate relationships. If a product is the best option for a specific use case, we include it — regardless of whether we get paid.
- Our "Best for" picks are based on research criteria (see How We Research), not commission rates.
- We disclose affiliate links before any commercial call-to-action. Look for this text near any link that may generate a commission:
- No affiliate partner sees our content before publication. No partner has input into rankings or recommendations.
- We don't accept payment for placement. Products cannot pay to appear higher in our comparisons or to be listed as a "top pick."
Why This Model?
We chose affiliate marketing and display advertising together over other monetization options because no single model would keep the site free at our current traffic level. Here's how the alternatives stack up:
| Monetization Model | Who Pays | What It Means for You |
| Display ads (we use AdSense) | Advertisers pay per view/click | Some ad placements appear alongside content. We control placement and avoid intrusive formats, but revenue is partly tied to traffic volume. |
| Affiliate marketing (our largest stream) | The provider pays when you take action | We only earn if our recommendation was useful enough that you acted on it. |
| Subscriptions / paywalls | You pay | Content is locked behind a login. Readers who can't afford the fee lose access. |
| Sponsored content | One sponsor pays per post | The sponsor controls the topic and message. Independence is compromised. |
AdSense, on its own, would not be enough to fund the site at our current traffic levels. Affiliate commissions are what make the editorial work sustainable. Together they keep the site free without compromising editorial independence.
Affiliate Partners
We work with the following affiliate partners and networks:
| Partner | Products Covered | Relationship |
| Ratehub | Mortgage rates, savings accounts, credit cards, loans, insurance | Affiliate |
| Fintel Connect | Direct bank offers (Scotiabank, LoanConnect, and others) | Affiliate network |
| Wise | International money transfers, multi-currency accounts | Affiliate |
This list is updated whenever we add or remove an affiliate partner. Last updated: June 2026.
What "Affiliate Link" Means
When you see a product link with a disclosure label, here's exactly what happens:
- You click the link and go to the partner's website
- A tracking cookie is placed in your browser (usually valid for 30-90 days)
- If you complete a qualifying action (e.g., open an account, complete a transfer), the partner records the conversion
- Canadian Money Guide receives a commission from the partner
- You pay the same as if you had gone directly to the partner's website — no markup, no hidden fee
The cookie doesn't contain personal information — just a referral ID that tells the provider you came from our site.
Products We Don't Get Paid For
We compare and recommend many products that pay us nothing. For example:
- Bank of Canada policy rate data — public information we track and explain
- CDIC coverage limits — government deposit insurance information
- CRA tax rules — TFSA, RRSP, and FHSA contribution limits and rules
- Big 5 bank savings accounts — we include them in comparison tables even when they don't have affiliate programs, because readers need to see the full market
If a product is in our comparison table, it earned its spot through our research methodology — not through a commission check.
Our Independence
Canadian Money Guide is independently owned and operated. We are not a subsidiary of any bank, credit union, or financial services company. No financial institution has an ownership stake in our business. Our editorial team operates independently of our business relationships.
Common Questions
Do you get paid more for recommending one product over another?
No. Our ranking methodology is the same for every product in a category. We don't adjust rankings based on commission rates, and we don't have different "tiers" of recommendations for higher-paying partners.
Do you only recommend products that pay you?
No. Many products in our comparisons — including most Big 5 bank accounts and government programs — pay us nothing. They're included because readers need to see the full picture.
How do I know which links are affiliate links?
Affiliate links are labeled. On pages with commercial content, you'll see a disclosure box near the top of the page, and individual product CTAs include disclosure text like "When you open an account through this link, we may earn a commission."
Can I avoid affiliate links?
Yes. Every product we mention can be accessed directly by going to the provider's website. Our affiliate links are a convenience — you'll get the same rates and terms either way.
This disclosure applies to all pages on Canadian Money Guide. Individual pages may contain additional specific disclosures near commercial content. For questions: [email protected]. Last updated: October 2026.