Advertiser Disclosure
ITINCreditScore.com is an independent publisher operated by Timberline Ventures LLC ("we," "us," "our"). The guides, tools, and comparisons on this site are free to read because we earn money from a small number of advertising and affiliate relationships. This page explains exactly how we get paid, who pays us, and, most importantly, the firewall we keep between that money and what we tell you. It is written to comply with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (16 CFR Part 255), which require any "material connection" between a publisher and a product it recommends to be disclosed clearly and conspicuously.
How we earn revenue
We have three revenue streams, and every page on this site is funded by one or more of them:
- Affiliate links through Commission Junction (CJ). Many of our outbound links to specific credit-building products, secured cards, and credit-builder loans, are affiliate links served through the Commission Junction (CJ Affiliate) network. When you click one of these links and then qualify, sign up, or open an account, the advertiser pays us a commission. The link carries a tracking code that tells CJ the referral came from us; it does not transmit your personal information to us.
- Affiliate display advertising through Awin. Some of the banner units on the site, including the Credit Karma unit you may see on certain pages, are served through the Awin affiliate network. We are paid when you click the unit and complete an action on the advertiser's site (for example, signing up for a free credit-score account). These units are always labeled "Advertisement."
- Display advertising through Google AdSense. On our educational articles we run contextual display ads served by Google AdSense and its partners. We are paid based on impressions and clicks. We do not control which specific advertiser appears in an AdSense slot, Google's system selects those, and their presence is not an endorsement by us.
- Tools-matching referrals. When you use our tools-matching form, we may connect you with a third-party credit-building provider and be paid a referral fee if you proceed.
How compensation affects (and does not affect) what you read
This is the part that matters most. Being paid by an advertiser can influence which products we choose to write about and where on a page a product link appears. It does not change the facts we report, the trade-offs we disclose, or our assessment of whether a product is right for a given situation. We do not accept payment to change a recommendation, to remove a drawback from a comparison, or to call a weak product a strong one. Our editorial conclusions are reached before, and independently of, any commercial arrangement, and they would read exactly the same if we earned nothing from them.
How we select and rank products
Products and tools are chosen for coverage based on how relevant and accessible they are to ITIN holders, specifically whether a product accepts an ITIN in place of a Social Security Number, whether it reports to the three nationwide credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion), its real costs and deposit requirements, and how suitable it is for someone building a thin or nonexistent credit file. A product is never included simply because it pays the highest commission, and a relevant product is never excluded simply because it pays us nothing or has no affiliate program at all. Where we compare options, the attributes in our tables (deposit amounts, bureau reporting, fees) reflect publicly documented product terms, which can change; we tell you to verify the current terms directly with the provider before you apply.
What this means for you
- It is never a cost to you. Our compensation comes from advertisers and partners, not from you. You never pay more for a product because you reached it through one of our links, and the price and terms you get are the same as if you had gone to the provider directly.
- We do not cover every option. This site does not include every credit-building product, lender, or provider in the market. Absence from our site is not a judgment about a product.
- We are not the provider. All credit products are offered by third parties under their own terms, eligibility rules, and applicable law. Approval, rates, and features are set by the provider, not by us.
Our editorial promise
Opinions, comparisons, and recommendations are our own. They are not provided, reviewed, approved, or endorsed by any advertiser, affiliate network, or partner. Our research process, how we source from primary materials and review guides for accuracy, is described on our editorial policy page. We aim to give you accurate, useful information so you can make your own decision. If we ever get something wrong, tell us and we will correct it.
Not financial advice
Nothing on this site is financial, legal, tax, or immigration advice, and we are not a credit bureau, credit-repair organization, lender, bank, or financial advisor. We do not set your credit score, originate loans, or make credit decisions. Always confirm current rates, terms, and eligibility directly with the provider before you apply. See our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy for more.