Privacy Policy

1. Who we are — the data controller

The data controller within the meaning of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is:

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or about the processing of your data, please contact us at the e-mail address above.

2. What data we process

SmartCreditcard.eu is a static comparison website that runs entirely in your browser. We do not process personal data on our servers. There is no registration, login or profile functionality. What is stored in your browser is limited to:

• →Anonymous click registration (localStorage): which credit cards you have viewed or clicked, stored as a technical identifier with no link to your identity. Stored exclusively on your own device.
• →Filter settings and preferences: your search and filter settings are stored locally for convenience. This data does not leave your device.
• →Standard web-server log files: your IP address (anonymised), browser type, operating system and the page visited are recorded by our hosting provider. This is standard web hosting practice. This data is not linkable to your identity and is not actively analysed by SmartCreditcard.eu.

We do not process special categories of personal data (such as financial data, national identification numbers or health information).

3. Purposes and legal basis for processing

The anonymous usage data in localStorage is processed solely for the following purposes:

• →Improving the functionality and quality of the comparison tool;
• →Anonymous statistics on popular products and usage patterns;
• →Verification of affiliate commissions with providers (anonymous click data only).

The legal basis for this processing is our legitimate interest under Article 6(1)(f) GDPR, namely improving the quality of our service. We have assessed that this interest does not override your privacy interests, since only anonymous technical data is processed that cannot be traced back to a natural person.

4. Cookies and local browser storage (localStorage)

SmartCreditcard.eu does not place analytical or marketing cookies on your device. We use browser localStorage solely for the anonymous functional purposes described above. LocalStorage is a technology that stores data on your own device and is not accessible to third parties.

You can delete localStorage data at any time via your browser settings (typically via "Clear site data" or "Clear browsing data"). This will not affect the functioning of the comparison tool.

5. Tracking and cookies from third-party providers

When you click through a link on SmartCreditcard.eu to a provider (e.g. ING, Rabobank, American Express, Revolut), you leave our website. From that point onwards, only the privacy and cookie policy of that provider applies. Providers may place cookies, use tracking pixels or apply other identification technologies when you visit their website. SmartCreditcard.eu has no control over this and is not responsible for it. We recommend you carefully read the privacy policy of the relevant provider before proceeding.

6. Sharing of data with third parties

SmartCreditcard.eu does not sell, rent, share or trade user personal data with third parties. We provide (anonymous) data to third parties only in the following strictly limited cases:

• →Legal obligation: where we are required to do so pursuant to a court order, statutory provision or order of a competent government authority.
• →Affiliate networks: solely anonymous, non-traceable click data for the purpose of verifying and administering affiliate commissions.
• →Hosting provider: our hosting provider has technical access to web server log files. This party is contractually bound by confidentiality and GDPR obligations.

7. Retention periods

We do not retain data longer than necessary for the purposes for which it was collected:

• →localStorage (your device): remains stored until you manually clear your browser data. SmartCreditcard.eu has no control over this after storage.
• →Web server log files: retained by our hosting provider for a maximum of 90 days, after which they are automatically deleted.

8. Your rights as a data subject (GDPR)

Under the GDPR you have the following rights in respect of the processing of your personal data:

• →Right of access (Art. 15 GDPR) — you may request to know what data we hold about you.
• →Right to rectification (Art. 16 GDPR) — you may request correction of inaccurate data.
• →Right to erasure / right to be forgotten (Art. 17 GDPR) — you may request deletion of your data.
• →Right to restriction of processing (Art. 18 GDPR).
• →Right to object (Art. 21 GDPR) — you may object to processing based on legitimate interest.
• →Right to data portability (Art. 20 GDPR).

Because SmartCreditcard.eu does not process or store personally identifiable data, it is in practice not possible to identify or link specific user data to an individual. You can delete your localStorage data yourself via your browser settings. For any other requests, please contact us at info@smartcreditcard.eu. We will respond within the statutory period of 4 weeks.

9. Security

SmartCreditcard.eu uses a secure HTTPS connection (TLS encryption) for all communication between your browser and our website. We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect the integrity of the website and anonymous usage data against unauthorised access, loss, destruction or disclosure. Because we do not store personal data on our servers, the risk of a data breach affecting users is minimal. In the unlikely event of a security incident we will act in accordance with the mandatory data breach notification obligation (Art. 33–34 GDPR).

10. Complaints — supervisory authority

If you believe we are processing your personal data in a manner that does not comply with the GDPR, please first contact us at info@smartcreditcard.eu so we can address your concern. You also always have the right to lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority:

11. Amendments to this privacy policy

We reserve the right to amend or supplement this privacy policy at any time, for example as a result of new legislation, technical developments or changes to our services. The most current version is always available on this page, marked with the date of the latest update. In the event of material changes we will announce these on the website. Continued use of SmartCreditcard.eu following an amendment constitutes acceptance of the revised privacy policy.