Terms and Conditions

Effective Date: December 2025
Last Updated: December 2025

These Terms and Conditions (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of ratesautority.com (the “Site”). The Site is operated under the brand Ratesautority(“Ratesautority,” “we,” “us,” or “our”).

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY. By accessing, browsing, or using the Site, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Site.

Key Summary (not a substitute for the full Terms):

The Site provides information and comparisons about financial products.
The Site may include affiliate links and we may earn commissions from clicks and/or purchases or applications made on third-party websites.
We do not sell financial products, do not process payments, and do not provide user accounts.
All applications, purchases, approvals, rates, and terms are handled by third parties.

1. Acceptance of Terms

1.1 Binding Agreement. By using the Site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to these Terms and to any additional terms incorporated by reference (including any disclosures or notices displayed on the Site).

1.2 Informational Nature of the Site. You understand and agree that the Site is an informational comparison platform. The Site may publish editorial content, rankings, reviews, comparison tables, calculators, and educational resources. Nothing on the Site is a substitute for professional financial, legal, tax, or accounting advice.

1.3 Eligibility. You may use the Site only if you can form a legally binding contract in your jurisdiction and you are not prohibited from using the Site under applicable law.

2. Age Restrictions (COPPA and Minors)

2.1 Not Intended for Children Under 13. The Site is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly permit use by children under 13.

2.2 Users Aged 13–17. If you are between 13 and 17, you may use the Site only with the involvement and consent of a parent or legal guardian, to the extent required by applicable law.

2.3 Guardian Responsibility.If you are a parent or guardian and you allow a minor to use the Site, you are responsible for the minor's activity and compliance with these Terms.

3. No User Accounts; No Purchases; No Payments

3.1 No Accounts. The Site does not offer user accounts or user profiles.

3.2 No Shopping Cart or Checkout. The Site does not offer a shopping cart or checkout functionality.

3.3 No Direct Sales or Payments. Ratesautority does not sell financial products directly and does not process payments. Any product application, purchase, subscription, approval, underwriting, rate offer, or transaction occurs on third-party websites.

Practical example:If you click “Apply” for a credit card, you will be redirected to a bank's site. Your application and approval are handled by the bank under its terms and privacy policy.

4. Financial Product Information Disclaimer (No Advice)

4.1 No Financial Advice. Content is provided for general informational purposes only. You should not rely on Site content as personalized advice.

4.2 Verify With Providers. Product terms (APR, fees, rates, eligibility criteria, rewards, availability, and offers) are determined by third parties and may change at any time. You are responsible for verifying details directly with the provider before making any decision.

4.3 No Fiduciary Relationship. Your use of the Site does not create any fiduciary, advisory, or client relationship between you and Ratesautority.

4.4 Calculators and Tools. Any calculators or estimators are illustrative and may be based on assumptions. Actual results can differ.

5. Affiliate Disclosure and FTC Compliance

5.1 Affiliate Relationships. The Site may include affiliate links, sponsored placements, or referral links to third-party products or services. When you click these links and/or complete a transaction or application, Ratesautority may earn compensation.

5.2 FTC Disclosure Placement. We intend to provide disclosure before or nearaffiliate links, including labels such as “Affiliate link,” “Sponsored,” “Ad,” “Partner,” “Compensated,” or similar.

5.3 Compensation Does Not Guarantee Ranking Neutrality. Compensation may affect which products we feature, how products are displayed, and/or where they appear (for example, their order in a comparison table). However, we may also consider factors such as features, popularity, availability, editorial judgment, and consumer interest.

5.4 No Added Cost to You. In many cases, using affiliate links does not increase the price you pay, but pricing and terms are controlled by third parties and can vary.

Practical example:A provider may pay us a commission if you apply for a loan after clicking a link on our Site. That commission may influence whether the provider appears in a “Top Picks” list.

6. External Sites and Third-Party Services

6.1 Third-Party Responsibility.The Site may link to third-party websites, apps, or services (“External Sites”). We do not control External Sites and are not responsible for their content, accuracy, availability, security, or practices.

6.2 Transactions Occur Elsewhere. Any purchase, application, approval, contract, or transaction you undertake is between you and the third party. Ratesautority is not a party to those agreements.

6.3 No Endorsement. A link does not imply endorsement, sponsorship, or recommendation unless explicitly stated.

6.4 Third-Party Terms Apply.Your use of External Sites is governed by those parties' terms and privacy policies. You should review them carefully.

6.5 Risk of Harm. External Sites may contain misinformation, errors, malware, or content you find objectionable. You assume the risk of visiting External Sites.

7. Intellectual Property and Copyright Notice

7.1 Ownership.The Site and all content on it—including text, comparisons, tables, design elements, logos, graphics, images, videos, software, code, compilation, and arrangement (“Content”)—are owned by or licensed to Ratesautority and are protected by copyright, trademark, and other laws.

7.2 Limited License. Subject to your compliance with these Terms, we grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to access and use the Site for your personal, non-commercial informational purposes.

7.3 Restrictions. You may not, without our prior written permission:

Copy, reproduce, modify, distribute, publicly display, or create derivative works from Content
Scrape, crawl, harvest, or use automated means to extract data (except standard search engine indexing where permitted)
Rehost or mirror the Site
Use Content for competitive analysis, training competing models, or republishing rate tables at scale
Remove proprietary notices from Content

7.4 Trademarks.“Ratesautority” and related branding may be protected trademarks. Third-party names and logos are property of their respective owners and used for identification only.

7.5 Feedback. If you submit suggestions or ideas, you grant Ratesautority a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free license to use them without compensation, to the extent permitted by law.

8. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

Use the Site for unlawful purposes or in violation of any applicable law
Attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Site or systems
Interfere with or disrupt Site functionality (e.g., DDoS, malware, exploitation)
Use bots, scrapers, or automated scripts to access the Site excessively
Misrepresent your identity or affiliation
Use the Site to transmit harmful, abusive, or misleading content
Circumvent or attempt to circumvent affiliate link mechanisms, tracking, or attribution systems
Reverse engineer or attempt to derive source code except to the extent permitted by law

We may restrict, suspend, or block access for suspected misuse.

9. Content Accuracy, Editorial Policies, and Availability

9.1 No Guarantee of Accuracy. While we try to keep information current, we do not guarantee that Content is complete, error-free, or up to date. Rates and offers can change frequently.

9.2 Corrections. We may update, correct, or remove Content at any time without notice.

9.3 Availability. We do not guarantee uninterrupted access. The Site may be unavailable due to maintenance, outages, or events beyond our control.

9.4 Regional Differences. Products and offers may vary by location, eligibility, and other factors. Content may not apply to your jurisdiction.

10. Newsletter Terms (If Offered)

10.1 Opt-In. If the Site offers a newsletter and you subscribe, you agree that we may send informational and promotional emails that may include affiliate links.

10.2 No Guarantee. Newsletter frequency, content, and availability may change. We may discontinue newsletters at any time.

10.3 Unsubscribe. You may unsubscribe using the mechanism included in each email (where provided). Processing may take a reasonable time. We may maintain a suppression record to ensure compliance with opt-out requests.

10.4 No Liability for Delivery. Email delivery depends on third-party email providers and your settings. We are not responsible for delayed, filtered, or undelivered emails.

11. Disclaimers; No Warranties

11.1 Site Provided “As Is.” The Site and Content are provided on an “AS IS” and “AS AVAILABLE” basis.

11.2 No Warranties. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Ratesautority disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, non-infringement, accuracy, and availability.

11.3 No Warranty Regarding Third Parties. We do not warrant:

That any product will be available to you
That you will qualify for any offer
That any rate, reward, fee, or term shown is current
That third-party sites are secure, accurate, or lawful
That any third party will approve an application, issue a product, or honor an offer

11.4 Financial Decisions Are Yours. You assume all risk for decisions made based on Site content. You should seek professional advice where appropriate.

12. Limitation of Liability

12.1 Limitation. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Ratesautority and its affiliates, owners, operators, employees, contractors, and partners will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, exemplary, or punitive damages, or any loss of profits, revenues, data, goodwill, or business opportunities, arising out of or related to your use of (or inability to use) the Site or External Sites.

12.2 Aggregate Cap. To the maximum extent permitted by law, the total liability of Ratesautority for any claim arising out of or related to the Site or these Terms will not exceed USD $100 or the amount you paid to Ratesautority in the twelve (12) months preceding the event giving rise to the claim, whichever is greater. Because the Site generally does not charge users, the cap will typically be USD $100.

12.3 Exclusions. Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability to the extent it cannot be excluded under applicable law. This limitation does not apply to liability resulting from gross negligence or willful misconduct where such limitation is prohibited.

12.4 Basis of Bargain. You acknowledge that the limitations of liability are an essential part of these Terms and reflect a reasonable allocation of risk.

13. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Ratesautority and its affiliates and related parties from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from or related to:

Your use of the Site
Your violation of these Terms
Your violation of any law or third-party right
Your misuse of External Sites initiated through our links

14. Dispute Resolution, Arbitration, and Class Action Waiver

PLEASE READ THIS SECTION CAREFULLY—IT AFFECTS YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS.

14.1 Governing Law. These Terms and any dispute arising out of or relating to them or the Site will be governed by the laws of the State of California, USA, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles.

14.2 Informal Resolution First. Before filing a claim, you agree to attempt to resolve disputes informally by providing a written notice describing the issue and the relief sought, and allowing a reasonable time to respond. (This is intended to reduce costs and resolve issues quickly.)

14.3 Binding Arbitration. If a dispute is not resolved informally, you and Ratesautority agree that any dispute, claim, or controversy arising from or relating to these Terms or the Site will be resolved by binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) under its applicable rules, unless an exception applies.

14.4 Arbitration Location and Format. Arbitration may occur in California unless the parties agree otherwise, and may be conducted by video, phone, written submissions, or in person, depending on the circumstances and AAA rules.

14.5 Small Claims Exception. Either party may bring an individual action in small claims court if the claim qualifies and remains in that court.

14.6 Class Action Waiver. You and Ratesautority agree to bring claims only on an individual basis. No class actions, class arbitrations, private attorney general actions, or representative proceedings are permitted, to the maximum extent allowed by law.

14.7 Severability of Arbitration Terms. If a court finds any portion of this arbitration section unenforceable, the remainder will remain in effect, except that if the class action waiver is found unenforceable, then the arbitration requirement may be deemed unenforceable to the extent required by law.

15. Modifications to the Site and Terms

15.1 Changes to the Site. We may add, remove, or modify Site features, Content, and functionality at any time.

15.2 Changes to Terms.We may revise these Terms from time to time. When we do, we will update the “Last Updated” date.

15.3 Continued Use. Your continued use of the Site after updated Terms are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms, to the extent permitted by law. If you do not agree to the revised Terms, you must stop using the Site.

16. Termination

We may suspend or terminate access to the Site at any time if we believe, in our sole discretion, that you have violated these Terms or that your use presents risk to the Site, users, or us. Sections that by their nature should survive termination (e.g., disclaimers, limitation of liability, arbitration, IP rights) will survive.

17. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found invalid, unlawful, or unenforceable, that provision will be severed to the extent necessary, and the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.

18. Entire Agreement

These Terms constitute the entire agreement between you and Ratesautority regarding your use of the Site and supersede any prior agreements or understandings related to the Site.

19. Assignment

You may not assign or transfer your rights or obligations under these Terms without our prior written consent. We may assign these Terms in connection with a merger, acquisition, corporate reorganization, or sale of assets.

20. Force Majeure

We are not responsible for delays or failures in performance resulting from events beyond our reasonable control, including natural disasters, acts of government, labor disputes, internet outages, or failures of third-party hosting providers.

21. Headings

Headings are for convenience only and do not affect interpretation.

22. Printable Version Notice and User Acknowledgment

These Terms are intended to be readable online. You are encouraged to save or print a copy for your records.

By using the Site, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms, to the extent permitted by law.