1. Who We Are
GiftCardEdu operates the website at info-giftcards.com (the "Site"). This Privacy Policy explains how we handle information when you visit our Site. This site is an independent educational resource about gift cards in the United States. We are not affiliated with any gift card issuer, retailer, or financial institution.
2. Information We Do NOT Collect
We want to be completely transparent about data we do not collect:
- Gift card numbers, PINs, activation codes, or any card data
- Bank account numbers, credit card numbers, or debit card numbers
- Social Security Numbers or government ID numbers
- Passwords or authentication credentials of any kind
- Payment information of any kind
- Your financial transactions or account information
No form on this site asks for financial or card data. If you encounter a page or form asking for gift card numbers or PINs that claims to be associated with this site, it is fraudulent — please report it to us and to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
3. Information We Do Collect
3.1 Contact Form Submissions
Our Contact page includes a form where visitors may voluntarily submit their name, email address, and a message. This information is collected solely to respond to your inquiry. We do not use it for marketing, sell it to third parties, or share it beyond what is needed to respond to your message. We retain contact form submissions for a reasonable period to handle follow-up correspondence and then delete them.
3.2 Automatically Collected Information (Web Server Logs)
Like virtually all websites, our web server automatically records certain information when you visit:
- Your IP address (in anonymized or partial form)
- The page(s) you visited
- The time and date of your visit
- The web browser and operating system you used
- The page that referred you to our site (if any)
This information is used to maintain the security of the site, diagnose technical problems, and understand aggregate traffic patterns. We do not use it to identify or track individual visitors.
3.3 Cookies and Tracking Technologies
We use cookies in two contexts:
Site functionality: We may use minimal session cookies to enable basic site functionality (such as dismissing notices). These cookies do not track your browsing across other sites and do not store personal information.
Google AdSense advertising: This site displays advertisements served by Google AdSense. Google uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to serve personalized ads based on your visits to this and other websites. Google's advertising cookies are governed by Google's own Privacy Policy, which you can review at policies.google.com/privacy. You can opt out of Google's personalized advertising at google.com/settings/ads.
4. How We Use Information
Any information collected through this site is used only to:
- Respond to contact form inquiries
- Maintain and improve the technical performance and security of the site
- Understand aggregate visitor behavior to improve our content
- Comply with legal obligations
We do not use your information for email marketing, targeted advertising, or sale to data brokers.
5. Third-Party Services
5.1 Google AdSense
We participate in Google AdSense, which displays advertisements on this site. Google may use cookies and web beacons to collect data about your visits to this and other sites to display relevant advertisements. This data collection is governed by Google's Privacy Policy and Google's Terms of Service, not this Privacy Policy. We do not have access to or control over the information collected by Google's advertising systems.
5.2 Web Hosting
Our site is hosted on cloud infrastructure. Our hosting provider may have access to web server logs as part of normal hosting operations. We select providers with appropriate privacy and security practices.
6. Data Sharing and Disclosure
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may disclose information only in the following limited circumstances:
- Legal requirements: If required to do so by law or in response to a valid legal process (such as a court order or government request).
- Protection of rights: If we believe disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of our site, our users, or the public.
- Service providers: We may share information with service providers who assist in operating the site (such as our hosting provider), under appropriate confidentiality agreements.
7. Data Retention
Contact form submissions are retained only as long as necessary to handle your inquiry and any follow-up, typically no more than 12 months. Server log data is retained for a short period for security and diagnostic purposes, typically 30–90 days, then deleted.
8. Security
We take reasonable technical measures to protect the Site and any information it handles. However, no website or internet transmission is completely secure. Because we do not collect sensitive financial data, the risk to visitors from any security incident is minimal. If you believe you have found a security vulnerability on this site, please contact us using the information on our Contact page.
9. Children's Privacy
This site is not directed at children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided personal information through our contact form, please contact us and we will delete that information promptly.
10. Your Privacy Rights
Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal data, including rights to access, correction, deletion, and restriction of processing. Because we collect very limited data, in most cases the most practical step is to contact us directly. For rights related to Google's advertising data, please use Google's own tools at myaccount.google.com.
California residents may have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Please contact us for information about exercising your CCPA rights.
11. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy occasionally to stay informed.
12. Contact
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us through our Contact page.