Editorial methodology

This page describes how the Comparatif24.fr editorial team researches, writes, verifies, and updates the content published on the site. It complements our Editorial Team page and our legal notice. It is public because transparency about our sources and our limits is part of our contract with the reader.

Source hierarchy

Not all sources are equal. For each factual statement, the team applies the following hierarchy, from most to least reliable:

1. Consolidated legislative and regulatory texts — Légifrance for the codes (Consumer Code, Insurance Code, Monetary and Financial Code, Energy Code, Postal and Electronic Communications Code) and the texts in force (laws, decrees, orders).
2. Decisions and publications by regulators — CRE deliberations, ARCEP decisions, ACPR recommendations, AMF guidelines, CNIL publications, opinions of the Consultative Committee of the Financial Sector (CCSF).
3. Public statistics and schedules — INSEE, DGCCRF, French Public Finances Directorate, ADEME, France Travail, National Energy Ombudsman, ARCEP observatories.
4. Official communications from providers — price lists published on the websites of the companies mentioned, registered general terms and conditions, standardised information sheets (mortgage insurance, home loan).
5. Sectoral studies and recognised associations — France Assureurs, French Banking Federation, UFC-Que Choisir, 60 Millions de consommateurs, INC.
6. Specialist economic press — used as supporting material for context, never as the sole source of a number or a legal rule.

Personal blogs, forums, and user-generated content are never used as a source for a factual statement.

Handling of prices and tariffs

The markets we cover are characterised by prices that vary with the consumption profile, geographic area, payment method, and contract length. For this reason, all tariffs quoted on Comparatif24.fr are presented as indicative.

• Systematic “indicative” flag — each price is accompanied by a note reminding that the amount may vary with individual conditions and the date of subscription.
• Reference to the reading date — each cited tariff is dated. When a schedule changes (notably regulated electricity tariffs, revised twice a year by CRE), the article is updated and the new date appears.
• Explicit consumption profile — for energy, comparisons state the subscribed power and the annual consumption used. For telecom, the data allowance, calls, and SMS retained are indicated. For insurance, the profile (age, area, claims history) is specified where relevant.
• No hidden arbitrage — when we list several providers in a table, the ordering criterion (rising price, alphabetical order, market seniority) is made explicit, in line with article L.111-7 of the French Consumer Code and decree n° 2024-753.

Citation and traceability

Every factual or legal statement in an article must be traceable. Concretely:

• References to French law (e.g. “article L.121-21 of the Consumer Code”) are cited with their full reference.
• Links to official publications favour stable pages (Légifrance for law, the regulator's own site for its decisions).
• Statistical figures cite the issuing body and the year (e.g. “INSEE, latest available release”).
• Names of providers, products, or brands are written with their official spelling. No logo is used without a clear legal basis (public information, comparative citation under applicable law).

Update cycle

Our guides are not static. They follow a review cycle that depends on the category:

• Energy — reviewed at each revision of the regulated electricity sales tariff by CRE (in practice twice a year, in February and August, plus any exceptional decision). Guides about public aids (energy voucher, MaPrimeRénov', price shield) are reviewed at each schedule change or official ministerial release.
• Telecommunications — reviewed on regulatory changes (ARCEP) or at the release of a new quarterly observatory on coverage, quality of service, or the fibre and 5G rollout.
• Insurance — reviewed on each legislative change (Hamon law, Lemoine law, in-year cancellation), at each France Assureurs publication on pricing trends, and at each annual cycle renewal.
• Banking & finance — reviewed at each revision of the Livret A rate by Banque de France (in practice on 1 February and 1 August), at each update of the standard banking fee schedule, and on regulatory change (PSD2, banking portability).

Editorial independence

Comparatif24.fr is published independently. As of the last update of this page:

• The site receives no affiliate commission on subscriptions discussed in its articles.
• No cited provider has a right to review article content.
• No advertising slot is sold to a provider cited in an article about it.
• No contractual relationship influences the order in which providers are presented in our indicative tables.

If any of this changes — for example, with a future integration of a partner comparator (Selectra or other) — the change will be visibly disclosed on this page and on the page hosting the integration, in line with article L.111-7 of the French Consumer Code and decree n° 2024-753 of 5 July 2024.

Correction policy

No editorial team is immune to mistakes. Our correction policy rests on three principles:

• Handling time — a factual error reported to info@comparatif24.fr is handled within seven working days. If the correction requires deeper checks, an acknowledgement is sent within the same window.
• Visibility of the correction — when a factual error is fixed, the article's update date is moved forward, and the nature of the correction is mentioned in a closing note if it affects a main statement in the article.
• Possible removal — if an entire guide becomes obsolete (e.g. a public scheme is discontinued), it can be removed from the site, with a redirect to the closest reference content.

Limits of our content

Comparatif24.fr publishes educational and informational content. This content is not a substitute for personalised financial advice, legal advice, or an individual market study. For any contractual decision with a significant impact (taking out a loan, choosing life insurance, switching energy provider on a professional site), we recommend consulting:

• A regulated professional (broker, wealth manager, lawyer) for committing decisions.
• Official public comparators where they exist: the National Energy Ombudsman's offer comparator, the Banque de France banking fee comparator, the ARCEP observatory for mobile and fibre coverage.
• Sectoral mediation services in case of a dispute: National Energy Ombudsman, Electronic Communications Ombudsman, Insurance and Banking Ombudsmen.