How Giftwise is funded.
Last updated: 27 April 2026
Giftwise contains affiliate links to UK retailers, alongside an optional premium tier. This page explains how affiliate links work, who pays whom, and why they don't compromise the recommendations you see.
What an affiliate link is
An affiliate link is a normal-looking link to a retailer's website that carries a small piece of tracking information identifying Giftwise as the referrer. If you click through and buy something within a certain time window, the retailer pays Giftwise a small commission. You pay the same price you would have paid anyway — the commission comes out of the retailer's marketing budget, not your pocket.
Which retailers
Giftwise participates (or intends to participate) in the following affiliate programmes:
- Awin — covers John Lewis, Selfridges, Liberty, Cult Beauty, Space NK, The White Company, Cox & Cox, Daylesford, Berry Bros & Rudd, Hotel Chocolat, Moonpig, Bloom & Wild, Not On The High Street, and many others
- Amazon Associates UK — Amazon UK product links
- Skimlinks — automated affiliate coverage for retailers we don't have direct programmes with
Where required by these programmes, we display the standard disclosure text. As an Amazon Associate, Giftwise earns from qualifying purchases.
How it affects what you see
Honestly: not at all. The catalogue of gift suggestions in Giftwise is hand-curated by Coldharbour Tech Limited based on what fits each theme — quality of the product, fit with UK gift-giving culture, range of price points. We do not feature products because they pay better commission. We do not promote retailers based on payment terms. There is no "sponsored" content anywhere in Giftwise.
If a retailer we feature doesn't have an affiliate programme, we still feature them — the link just won't carry a tag. Liberty is a good example: we recommend Liberty silk scarves because they're a brilliant gift, not because of affiliate income.
How much we earn
Commission rates vary by retailer, typically between 1% and 12% of the sale value, with most sitting between 3% and 6%. On a £40 candle from John Lewis, Giftwise might earn roughly £1.20 to £2 if you buy after clicking through. On a £15 book from Amazon, perhaps 30p to 60p.
These small amounts add up to the cost of running Giftwise — domains, hosting, tools — and (eventually) the time spent maintaining it. They do not currently fund a salary, marketing, or anything else.
What we do not do
- We do not accept payment to feature specific products
- We do not accept payment to rank one retailer above another
- We do not collect or share your personal data with retailers (the affiliate tracking is anonymous and click-based, not user-based)
- We do not adjust your prices or discounts based on having clicked from Giftwise
- We do not run sponsored content or paid placements anywhere in the app
UK ASA compliance
The UK Advertising Standards Authority requires that affiliate relationships be clearly disclosed. This page exists to comply with that requirement and to be transparent with our users. Affiliate links throughout Giftwise are not individually marked, but their existence is disclosed here, in our terms, and on the about page.
Questions
If you'd like to know specifically which retailers we have active affiliate relationships with at any given time, or have any other question about how Giftwise is funded, email contact@coldharbourtech.com.