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Transparency

How we rank packages

The DMCC Act 2024 requires comparison services to disclose the criteria they use to order results and to label any paid placement clearly. This page explains exactly how PilgrimCompare ranks packages — in plain English.

Last updated: 12 June 2026

Default sort order

Sorted by relevance and listing quality. No operator pays for ranking.

When you first see results — before choosing a different sort — packages are ordered by a neutral quality score. The score has three inputs, described below. No commercial relationship, no payment, and no editorial judgement affects where a package appears in the default order.

The ranking criteria

1

Data completeness — 45%

A listing that includes hotel names, the exact distance to the Haram, airline information, cancellation terms, deposit details, travel dates, and group type is more useful when you are comparing packages side by side. We count how many of 16 optional fields are filled in and score the listing proportionally. An operator improves their score simply by providing complete information — not by paying.

2

Price confirmation recency — 35%

A package that was updated recently is more likely to have accurate pricing. We use the date the operator last updated their listing as a proxy for price freshness. A listing updated in the last 7 days scores maximum; listings older than 90 days score zero on this dimension. Operators keep their score high by keeping their listings current.

3

Operator response rate — 20%

Operators who reply to enquiries quickly give travellers a better experience. This dimension will use measured response times once enough enquiry data exists. Until then, all operators receive an equal neutral score on this input so no operator is unfairly penalised or rewarded before real data is available.

4

Relevance to your search

Packages you see have already been filtered to match your chosen criteria (departure city, budget, hotel stars, distance to Haram, and so on). Every result in the list has passed your active filters — so within those results, the other three criteria determine the order.

Featured listings

In the future, operators will be able to pay for a Featured placement. When Featured slots are active, the following rules apply without exception:

  • ✓Featured packages appear in a clearly labelled “Featured” section above the neutral results — the label is at the slot itself, not in a footnote.
  • ✓The section note reads: “Paid placement — not ranked by our neutral criteria.”
  • ✓A maximum of 2 Featured packages per list view.
  • ✓Featured packages are excluded from the neutral results count shown at the top of the page.
  • ✓Featured status has no influence on a package’s neutral ranking score — if Featured is switched off, the package ranks on its merits like any other.

No operator is currently featured. Featured slots are not yet active on this site.

How we verify operators

Before any operator is listed, we check: (1) their ATOL number against the CAA’s public register, (2) their company status at Companies House, (3) that they have a real, verifiable UK trading address. Verification confirms these checks at the time of listing. It is not a guarantee of service quality, financial protection for your specific booking, or future conduct.