How We Rank Financial Products

Every comparison on SmarterPik follows the same process. Here's exactly how we decide what goes where — and what doesn't make the cut.

1. We Start With Official Data

Every product listing starts at the source: the bank's or provider's official website. We pull rates, fees, terms, and eligibility criteria directly from product pages — not from press releases, not from third-party aggregators, not from memory.

We verify key data points (interest rates, annual fees, cashback caps) against official sources at least once per month. When rates change, we update our tables within the next content review cycle. Every article shows a "Last updated" date so you know how fresh the information is.

2. We Rank on User Value, Not Commission

This is the most important thing to understand about our rankings. We earn affiliate commissions from some products we feature — that's how we keep the lights on. But commission rates never influence product rankings or "best pick" designations.

Our ranking criteria vary by product type, but always prioritise what matters most to the user:

3. We Include Products We Don't Earn From

If a product is the best option for users, it appears in our comparison — whether or not we have an affiliate relationship with the provider. We list products from banks and providers who don't pay us commissions, and we mark them with direct links to the provider's website.

You can always tell which links are affiliate links: they are marked in our affiliate disclosure, and our CTA buttons track clicks transparently via analytics events (no hidden redirects).

4. We Cross-Check With Real User Experience

Official product pages tell you the ideal scenario. Real users tell you what actually happens. We supplement official data with:

• Community forums — Reddit r/malaysia, Lowyat.net, and Malaysian Personal Finance communities
• App store reviews — for digital banks, e-wallets, and fintech products
• Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) — licence verification, base rate data, regulatory status
• Google Search Console data — what Malaysians are actually searching for tells us what questions need answering

When community sentiment consistently contradicts official claims (e.g. "approval takes 3 days" but users report 3 weeks), we note it.

5. We Update, Not Just Publish

Finance content goes stale fast. A rate that was accurate last month might be wrong today. Our content review process runs on a regular cycle:

• Daily: Automated checks for broken links and affiliate URL health
• Weekly: Google Search Console performance review — which articles are ranking, which need improvement
• Monthly: Full data freshness audit — spot-checking key rates and fees against official sources
• On change: When a bank announces rate changes or new products, we update affected articles within the next review cycle

6. What We Don't Do

• We don't accept payment for reviews or favourable placement
• We don't let affiliate partners preview or approve content before publication
• We don't hide products that compete with our affiliate partners
• We don't use clickbait titles that misrepresent our findings
• We don't provide personalised financial advice — we compare products, not your situation

Last updated: March 2026