Primary evidence
Official platform terms, regulator or company-registry records, verified app listings, dated support material, and controlled transaction records.
Evidence framework
Platform Review Standards
GiftCardVibe compares gift card trading platforms using published criteria, dated evidence, and explicit limits. A review helps readers ask better questions; it cannot guarantee a future transaction.
Risk boundary: registration, app-store presence, public feedback, and a successful test are useful evidence, but none proves that every card will be accepted or every payout will arrive on time.
Weighted review criteria
| Criterion | Weight | Evidence reviewed |
|---|---|---|
| Rate clarity | 25% | Visible rate basis, card type, country, receipt rules, fees, and whether the final quote is shown before sensitive submission. |
| Payout process | 25% | Published settlement flow, status tracking, delay explanation, withdrawal conditions, and dated test evidence when available. |
| Support access | 20% | Traceable official support routes, escalation options, and the quality of responses visible in public evidence or controlled tests. |
| Receipt handling | 15% | Rules for physical cards, e-codes, no-receipt submissions, damaged cards, and high-value review. |
| Complaint risk | 15% | Repeated complaint themes, recency, platform response, resolution evidence, and whether reports can be independently corroborated. |
Evidence hierarchy
Corroborating evidence
Consistent app-store complaints, public support responses, credible reporting, and recurring user patterns with enough detail to compare.
Weak signals
Anonymous claims, undated screenshots, referral posts, copied reviews, and isolated social comments are leads, not standalone conclusions.
Review process
Define the test scope
Record the card brand, country, amount, format, receipt condition, platform version, and date. Public-information reviews are labelled when no live test exists.
Compare like with like
Use the same card profile when comparing platforms. A clean US physical card cannot fairly be compared with an unsupported e-code or no-receipt card.
Publish limits and revisit
State what was not tested, link important sources, record the last review date, and update material changes rather than silently preserving an old conclusion.
Conflicts, scores, and corrections
Conflict disclosure
Affiliate, sponsorship, ownership, or other financial relationships must be disclosed on the relevant comparison. The same visible criteria still apply.
What a score does not mean
A score is a dated editorial comparison, not a safety certificate. GiftCardVibe does not publish a star rating without visible criteria and sufficient supporting evidence.
Platform representatives and readers can submit documented corrections through Contact and Corrections. Read How We Make Money for the commercial disclosure policy.