Privacy Policy

Fine Print Doctor (“the site”, “we”, “us”) is an independent site that reads companies’ terms and tells you what they mean for you. This policy explains what information the site collects when you visit, how it is used, who it is shared with, and the choices and rights you have. Reading a guide requires no account and no personal details.

The short version

• You can read every page without giving any personal information.
• We use analytics tools to see how the site is used and to improve it: aggregate visit and page-speed counts, and behavior analytics such as where pages are clicked and scrolled, including session replays.
• We do not sell your personal information, and we do not run our own advertising.
• Some outbound links are referral links; the destination may set its own cookies to credit a sign-up. This is explained on our disclosure page.

Information we collect

Information you choose to give us

• Email. If you email hello@fineprintdoctor.com (or another address at the domain), we receive your message and email address in order to reply. Mail is delivered through an email-routing service to a private inbox.
• Newsletter. If you subscribe to email alerts, we collect the email address you submit and any brands or categories you choose to follow, processed by our email provider solely to send those updates. We email only when an offer's terms change. You can unsubscribe from any message.

Information collected automatically

• Hosting logs. Like nearly all websites, our hosting provider processes standard request data (such as IP address, browser type, and pages requested) to serve pages and protect the site.
• Aggregate analytics. We count visits and measure page-load performance with a privacy-friendly tool. It is aggregated, does not use cookies, does not track you across other websites, and does not collect personally identifiable information.
• Behavior analytics. A third-party behavior-analytics tool records how pages are used: clicks, scrolling, heatmaps and session replays, along with device and browser type and an approximate location derived from your IP address. It uses first- and third-party cookies and similar technologies. We use what it shows us only to understand and improve the site and to spot abuse; we do not run advertising. The provider processes the data under its own privacy terms.
• Referral-link cookies. When you click an outbound referral link, the destination site or its referral network may set cookies on their own domain to credit the sign-up. Those cookies are governed by that company's privacy policy, not this one.

How we use information

• To operate, secure, and improve the site and its content.
• To understand which guides are useful and where readers get stuck, in aggregate.
• To respond to emails you send us.
• To send email updates if you have subscribed.

How information is shared

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising. Information is processed by the service providers that make the site work: our hosting and analytics providers, our DNS and email-routing provider, and our newsletter provider if you subscribe. Each processes data under its own privacy terms. We may also disclose information if required by law or to protect the site's rights and safety.

Cookies and your choices

Our aggregate analytics do not use cookies. The behavior-analytics tool does use cookies and similar technologies, as described above. You can control cookies through your browser settings, use privacy extensions or ad blockers, and enable a Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal, which we honor where it applies. Blocking these tools does not affect your ability to read the site.

Your privacy rights

California (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you have the right to know what personal information is collected, to request access or deletion, to correct inaccurate information, and to opt out of any “sale” or “sharing” of personal information. We do not sell or share personal information as those terms are defined by California law. To exercise a right, email hello@fineprintdoctor.com; we will not discriminate against you for doing so.

European Economic Area and United Kingdom (GDPR/UK GDPR)

If you are in the EEA or UK, you have the right to access, correct, delete, restrict, or object to the processing of your personal data, and to data portability. Our legal bases are our legitimate interest in operating and improving the site and, where required, your consent (for example, for analytics cookies). You can withdraw consent at any time by using browser controls, and you may lodge a complaint with your local data-protection authority.

Data retention

Analytics data is retained for a limited period by our providers and then deleted. Emails you send are retained as long as needed to handle your request. Newsletter subscriptions are kept until you unsubscribe.

Children

This site is intended for adults and is not directed to children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

Third-party sites

Guides link to banks, brokerages, apps, and other companies. Once you leave this site, you are subject to the destination's own terms and privacy practices, which we do not control.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the site or the law changes. The “last updated” date above will always reflect the current version.

Contact

Questions about privacy? Email hello@fineprintdoctor.com.