Affiliate disclosure
LEGAL REVIEW NEEDED: draft text, not yet reviewed by a solicitor. Do not publish until Marc signs it off.
The short version
Some links on this site may be affiliate links. If you buy through one we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. Every such link is marked sponsored next to the link, and it is the only kind of link that earns us anything. The site has no advertising networks.
How a sponsored link is marked
- The link text is followed by the words "(affiliate link)" on the page, so you see it before you click, not only in the code.
- In the page code the link carries
rel="sponsored nofollow noopener", the labelling search engines ask for on paid or affiliate links. - Links to official sources (NOAA, FEMA, Met Office, GOV.UK and similar) are never affiliate links.
Today no affiliate account is live, so no sponsored link is shown. This page describes the rule that applies from the day the first one is added.
What a commission does not change
A product appears only if an official source says that kind of item is useful. We do not add, remove or reorder advice because of what pays. Safety information is never put behind a sign-up or a payment. See how we make money and about.
Why we label links this way
- United States. The Federal Trade Commission's Endorsement Guides (16 CFR Part 255) say a material connection between an advertiser and a person who recommends a product, such as a commission, must be disclosed clearly and close to the recommendation. See the FTC's Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers and the Endorsement Guides.
- United Kingdom. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and the CAP Code require that marketing is obviously identifiable as marketing. Affiliate content is covered when the publisher is paid for sales. See the ASA's affiliate marketing guidance. The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, as replaced by the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, also bar hidden advertising.
Amazon Associates
If we join the Amazon Associates programme, its operating agreement requires this statement, and it will appear on this page and in the footer from that day:
> As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Until then it does not apply and nothing on the site is an Amazon affiliate link. Other programmes will be named here, with their required wording, before their links go live.
Retailers and your data
After you click, the retailer's own site and privacy notice apply. We do not pass your details to the retailer. See the privacy notice and the cookie notice.
Questions
If a link looks like an advertisement and is not marked, tell us on the corrections page. We will fix it and log the change there.