Voting in the Consumer credit awards 2023 is open! Vote here.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

When does voting open?

Voting opens on 9 May 2023 and closes on 14 August 2023.

On 19 July 2023 we’ll confirm the finalist shortlist, based on the voting to date. Customers can continue to vote for these finalists until voting closes midnight on 14 August 2023. All votes during the period 9 May 2023 to 14 August 2023 will be counted.


How can my company take part?

Please contact us by emailing [email protected] to register your interest and we’ll let you know the next steps. And if you’re a consumer facing company, we’ll make sure you have a review page on the Smart Money People website.


How much does it cost to take part?

Nothing at all – there’s no entry cost for companies to take part.


What is the voting process?

Your company will need to register to take part and have a review page on the Smart Money People website. We’ll give you a personalised link to provide to your customers, who can leave a review for your company in specific product categories.

Customers can also leave a review directly via the Smart Money People website, leaving feedback on a product, which also counts as a vote. And that’s it – from landing on the page to leaving a review should take two minutes or less. For partners, you’ll need to register to take part and we’ll give you a voting link to share with your clients.


What personal data do we capture?

We ask reviewers for a name and email address so we can validate reviews and get in touch with prize draw winners. We don’t capture any account-specific information or share any data with third parties. And we’re registered with the ICO with the code ZA190919.


Who is eligible to enter?

The awards are open to any company working in the credit industry. There’s also categories for those who provide services to the credit industry. You can see a full list on our take part page.


Who can leave a review and vote?

Customers who are UK residents over 18 are eligible to leave a review in all categories and will be entered into the prize draw.


How does the £1,000 prize competition work?

We’ll randomly select a winner from all customers who leave a valid review during the voting period. Our Terms and Conditions are available here.

Are employees allowed to leave a review and vote?

To keep the process fair, employees (or friends and families of employees) aren’t allowed to leave a review for the company they work for (or competitors in the same category they’re competing in).


Can a company enter more than one category?

Yes – enter as many different categories as you’re eligible for. But please do speak with a member of our team if you’re unsure which to go for.


Can customers vote multiple times?

Yes, customers can leave a review multiple times for different companies, or one company across different categories. But only one review per company, per category can be counted.


Can companies incentivise customers to leave a review?

We work hard to keep the process fair, so we don’t allow companies to incentivise their customers. These reviews will be removed from the overall ratings process.


How do we detect ineligible voting?

We work hard to make sure that the results of the Consumer Credit Awards are fair, and a true reflection of the customer’s opinions on companies within the industry. We've honed a robust validation process to spot suspect voting.


How do we judge the awards for the industry specific and headline categories??

Simply – we don’t. Unlike other industry events, Consumer Credit Awards winners are decided entirely by customer reviews, not by a panel of judges. Any eligible reviews left for your company on Smart Money People between the opening and closing dates will be counted.

We choose winners based on the average overall satisfaction rating a customer gives when they leave a review with us, as well as the volume of reviews we receive. The exceptions are the Customer Service, and Treating Customers Fairly categories, where winners are decided based on data captured for these specific questions


How do we judge the awards for the partner categories?

Much like the other categories, we don’t. Your clients can vote for you using one of our dedicated voting links. We base winners on the average overall rating using client feedback.


When are the winners announced?

We’ll announce the winners in a digital ceremony on Thursday 7 September. You can find out more about the announcement on our event page.