Our Methodology
How CryptoBonusWorld researches, verifies, and scores crypto exchange bonus offers. Every rating is based on defined criteria, applied consistently across all exchanges.
1. What We Do
CryptoBonusWorld is a crypto exchange bonus comparison platform. We research, verify and compare promotional offers from centralised crypto exchanges to help users find bonuses that match their trading goals and country of residence.
We do not place deposits, execute trades, or provide investment advice. We compare publicly available promotional information sourced directly from official exchange pages.
Our scope covers: welcome bonuses, deposit match bonuses, trading rewards, referral bonuses, futures bonuses, no-KYC bonus offers, and promotional code-activated offers.
2. Data Sources
All bonus data on this site is sourced exclusively from:
- Official exchange promotion pages — the canonical source for all bonus amounts and conditions
- Exchange terms and conditions documents — for trading volume requirements, expiry dates, and eligibility conditions
- Official exchange announcements — blog posts, press releases, and verified email campaigns where promotion terms are clarified
- Direct account testing — where feasible, our team creates test accounts to verify sign-up flow, KYC steps, and bonus activation
We do not use other comparison websites, user-submitted data, or AI-generated summaries as primary sources. All factual claims must be traceable to an official source.
3. Rating System
Exchange ratings are expressed as a single score from 1.0 to 10.0, computed from six weighted criteria. Scores are calculated mechanically — no subjective adjustment is permitted after the criteria scores are set.
A score of 8.0+ indicates an excellent bonus offer with clear conditions, broad country support, and strong exchange reputation. A score below 5.0 indicates significant limitations that may make the bonus difficult to claim or less valuable in practice.
4. Rating Criteria
The six criteria and their weights:
The headline bonus amount compared to the industry average for the exchange's size tier. We account for conditions: a 30,000 USDT bonus requiring $1M in trading volume is scored lower than a 500 USDT bonus that unlocks at $5,000 volume. We calculate an effective bonus value based on a typical new user deposit of $500.
We assess how clearly the exchange communicates: trading volume requirements, bonus expiry dates, eligible trading pairs, minimum deposit thresholds, and step-by-step activation instructions. Exchanges that bury key conditions in footnotes or link to terms hosted in a different language are penalised.
We score three KYC tiers: No KYC required (highest score), partial KYC required for bonus activation (mid score), and full identity verification required before any withdrawal (lowest score). This criterion reflects accessibility for new users, not a judgment on AML practices.
Based on the number of countries where the exchange operates without restrictions, from our tracked list of 60+ countries. Exchanges with active licences in major markets (EU, UK, Australia, Canada) score higher. We explicitly exclude exchanges that restrict access for 50%+ of our user base.
Based on: years of operation (more years = higher score), absence of major security incidents or unresolved fund loss events, regulatory compliance record (active licences, no enforcement actions), and community trust signals (verified positive patterns from independent sources, not paid reviews).
The number of steps required to activate and receive the bonus, based on direct account testing where possible. Exchanges with one-click activation or automatic credit on deposit score highest. Exchanges requiring manual support tickets to activate bonuses score lowest.
5. KYC Assessment Method
We classify KYC requirements into four levels:
- Level 0 — No KYC: Trading and withdrawal possible without any identity verification (up to exchange limits)
- Level 1 — Email only: Account creation requires email; no document upload for basic trading access
- Level 2 — Partial KYC: Photo ID required for withdrawals above a threshold, but trading starts without verification
- Level 3 — Full KYC: Full identity verification required before any trading or withdrawal
KYC level is determined through direct testing of the sign-up and withdrawal flow, not solely from published terms (which may be out of date or ambiguous).
6. Bonus Type Classification
We classify bonuses into the following types:
- Welcome Bonus: Awarded upon first registration — may include a no-deposit component
- Deposit Bonus: Match bonus activated by first or subsequent deposit
- Trading Reward: Volume-based reward unlocked by completing trading milestones
- Futures Bonus: Credited specifically to the futures/derivatives trading account
- No-Deposit Bonus: Awarded without requiring a deposit — typically smaller and volume-locked
- Referral Bonus: Earned by referring new users
- Promotional Code Bonus: Activated by entering a specific code at sign-up
When an exchange offers multiple bonus types, we rate the primary welcome package (the offer presented to new users at sign-up). Additional bonus types are noted as supplementary features.
7. Data Freshness
Exchange data is re-verified on the following schedule as a minimum:
- Exchange pages and bonus landing pages: every 30 days
- Bonus code pages: every 21 days
- Compare pages: every 45 days or when either exchange updates
The "Last Verified" date shown on exchange pages is the date of most recent manual confirmation, not the most recent content change. We do not publish data that is more than 45 days old without re-verification.
See our Content Update Policy for full details.
8. Editorial Independence
CryptoBonusWorld earns affiliate commissions when users register through our links. This does not affect our ratings. Specifically:
- No exchange can pay to improve its score
- No exchange can pay for a specific position in comparison tables
- Affiliate status does not determine listing eligibility
- We list cons, limitations, and conditions for every exchange regardless of commercial relationship
All affiliate links are disclosed inline and via our Affiliate Disclosure page. See also our full Editorial Policy.
9. Limitations of Our Data
Users should be aware of the following limitations before relying on our data:
- Bonus terms can change without notice. Always check the official exchange promotion page before registering or depositing.
- Country restrictions may be more granular than we report. Some exchanges restrict access at the state or province level, which we may not capture.
- Effective bonus value varies by user. Our calculations assume a standard new user with a $500 starting deposit. Your actual bonus value may differ.
- We cannot verify every exchange's financial standing. Our reputation scoring is based on available public information; it is not an audit or regulatory assessment.
- We are not a regulated financial service. Nothing on this site constitutes financial advice or a recommendation to open an account with any exchange.