Our Review Methodology
How we evaluate brokers and bonuses. This page exists so you know exactly how our ratings are produced — and so any claim we make is checkable against a stated process.
Broker vetting (inclusion standard)
A broker must meet our standard before we feature it:
- Credible regulation — a recognized regulator (even if the bonus runs through an offshore entity).
- Payout track record — evidence of reliable withdrawals; no pattern of unresolved complaints.
- Transparent terms — bonus conditions are disclosed and not deceptive.
Brokers failing the standard go on our do-not-promote list and are not featured. Brokers that haven’t completed vetting are marked under review: we may publish an informational review, but we do not list their offers or link to them until they pass.
How we rate (criteria & weights)
Every rating out of 10 is produced from six criteria, weighted by how much each protects your money:
| Criterion | Weight | What we look at |
|---|---|---|
| Regulation & safety | 30% | Which regulators cover which entities; where the bonus account actually sits |
| Bonus value & fairness | 25% | Withdrawable status, turnover requirement, time limits, profit caps, cancellation traps |
| Withdrawal reliability | 15% | Published processing times, user reports, complaint patterns |
| Trading costs | 15% | Spreads/commissions on the bonus-eligible account — the real cost of clearing turnover |
| Platform & account quality | 10% | MT4/MT5/other platforms, account types, execution model |
| User reports | 5% | Sustained patterns in public complaints and resolutions (never single anecdotes) |
The scale. 9–10 means live-tested with verified payouts and fair terms; 7–8.9 means desk-verified with credible regulation and clean terms; 5–6.9 means notable caveats (weigh carefully); below 5 fails our standard and is not promoted.
Provisional ratings. Until we have live-tested a broker (real account, real deposit, real withdrawal), its rating is marked provisional and we do not award more than 8/10. Per-criterion sub-scores are published as live testing completes.
What “we tested” means
When a review says we tested a broker, we opened a real account, made a deposit, confirmed the bonus credited as advertised, observed live spreads, and attempted a withdrawal — and we keep the evidence (dated screenshots and records). Where we have not performed a live test, the review says so plainly, and a “How we verified this review” box lists exactly which published documents we checked and when. We never fabricate first-hand experience.
Keeping data current
Two dates govern everything on this site, and they are deliberately separate:
- Per-offer verification — every offer figure is recorded from the broker’s own pages and carries its own “Verified [date]” stamp. The date tells you when that specific term was last checked, and we re-verify on a rolling basis.
- Page reviews — each page shows a “Last updated” date reflecting the site-wide editorial pass it was last part of.
If a broker changes terms between our checks, the stamp shows honestly how old our record is. Spotted something outdated? Email hello@forexwelcomebonus.com — corrections are made promptly and material errors are noted on the page.
Affiliate relationships
We may earn a commission when you sign up through our links — see our Affiliate Disclosure. Commissions never change our ratings, our vetting standard, or the order in which brokers and offers are ranked: ranking order comes from the criteria above, never from commercial terms.
Last updated: June 21, 2026