Methodology

Every brand on Referral Rewards Hub goes through the same three filters: an inclusion check before the page is written, a verification step before each quarterly refresh, and an exclusion rule that keeps certain categories of operators off the site permanently. This page documents the rules so readers can audit the choices independently.

Inclusion criteria

A brand is eligible to be listed only if all of the following hold:

• EU regulatory status. The operator must be regulated by an EU/EEA or Swiss authority appropriate to its category — banking license (e.g. Bank of Spain, BaFin, FINMA), brokerage license under MiFID II, or VASP/CASP registration for crypto exchanges. We list the specific register where applicable.
• Transparent terms. The bonus terms (qualifying deposit, holding period, eligible jurisdictions) must be published by the brand itself in plain language. If the terms are buried, contradictory, or only available after signup, we don't list the brand.
• Accessible signup. A typical EU resident must be able to open an account online without a branch visit, paid intermediary, or invitation gate.
• Working bonus. The referral code or link must produce a measurable bonus on a fresh test account before the page goes live.

Verification cadence

Each brand page carries a last_verified date in its front matter. The schema enforces a freshness bound: pages older than six months are flagged at build time. In practice the operator re-checks every brand once per quarter and updates:

• The bonus amount and any qualifying-deposit changes.
• The eligible-countries list (some brands rotate availability).
• The referral link — if the brand changes URL formats, the page is rebuilt before the old link 404s.
• Any FAQ items that have since become stale.

If a brand cannot be re-verified within the quarter (e.g. the bonus is paused), the page is either updated with a "currently paused" banner or removed entirely. We do not ship pages with claims we can no longer stand behind.

Exclusion criteria

The following are categorically off-limits, regardless of commission rate:

• MLM / pyramid structures. Operators whose primary income for the user comes from recruiting downline referrers, not from the underlying product, are excluded.
• Unregulated brokers and exchanges. Offshore or licence-shopping operators are not listed even if they offer attractive bonuses.
• Paid placements. Brands cannot pay to be added, ranked higher, or featured. The list is strictly editorial.
• Operators with active enforcement actions. If a regulator has open proceedings against a brand for consumer harm, the brand is removed until those actions resolve.

Spotted something that looks wrong? Email gabriel@mrfreire.net. Errors are corrected within seven days of a verifiable report.