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Privacy Policy

Last updated: 9 February 2026

1. Who We Are

Tipping Rules is a utility web application designed to help travelers understand tipping customs and calculate tips by country.

This website is operated by the Tipping Rules team ("we", "us", or "our").
For any privacy-related questions, you can contact us at: contact@tippingrules.com

2. What Data We Collect (and What We Don't)

We do NOT:

  • require user accounts
  • collect names, emails, or passwords
  • sell or rent personal data
  • run advertising or marketing trackers
  • build user profiles

We MAY collect limited technical data:

  • IP address (temporarily processed and hashed for privacy, used only for security and abuse prevention such as rate limiting)
  • browser type and device information
  • approximate location (country-level only, derived from IP address)
  • usage events (pages viewed, feature usage)
  • an anonymous identifier stored locally, used only for aggregated analytics and not linked to your identity

This data is used strictly to operate, secure, and improve the service, and only to the extent necessary.

3. Cookies & Local Storage

We use:

  • strictly necessary cookies for basic site functionality
  • when analytics is enabled: analytics cookies (e.g. from Google Analytics) to measure usage—see section 4. Analytics
  • local storage to remember your preferences and improve your experience:
    • favorite countries
    • calculator calculation history
    • last viewed country or service
    • anonymous analytics identifier

We do not use:

  • marketing cookies
  • third-party advertising cookies
  • cross-site tracking cookies

Where we use analytics cookies (e.g. Google Analytics), we do so on the basis described in section 4. In jurisdictions that require consent for non-essential cookies, we obtain consent or rely on applicable legal bases before activating such analytics.

All local storage data remains on your device and is not transmitted to our servers, except where strictly necessary for normal service operation.

4. Analytics

We use analytics to understand how the site is used and to improve content and performance. We do not intentionally collect sensitive personal information through analytics.

Google Analytics

When analytics is enabled, we use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to measure usage and improve the product. Google Analytics is a service provided by Google LLC (or Google Ireland Limited in the EEA).

  • Data collected: page views and navigation paths; device and browser information; approximate location (e.g. country or region); IP address (processed by Google); a first-party cookie identifier (e.g. _ga, _gid); and custom events (e.g. feature usage such as opening the tip calculator, sharing a country, search with no results, FAQ sections expanded, similar countries clicked, calculator exit, or app errors) that we send in aggregated form.
  • Purpose: to analyze how visitors use the site, which content and features are used, and to improve the service and user experience.
  • Legal basis: we rely on our legitimate interest in improving the service and understanding usage. In jurisdictions where consent is required for analytics or non-essential cookies (e.g. under ePrivacy or national rules), we obtain your consent before activating Google Analytics, or we do not activate it until consent is given.

For more on how Google processes data, see Google's Privacy Policy and How Google uses data when you use our partners' sites or apps.

Vercel Analytics

We may also use Vercel Analytics for aggregated usage statistics (such as page views and device type). For details, see Vercel's documentation.

5. How Long We Keep Data

  • Technical logs are retained only as long as necessary for security and performance
  • We do not maintain personal user records

6. Third-Party Services

We rely on trusted service providers to operate the site, including:

  • hosting and infrastructure providers
  • when analytics is enabled: Google (Google Analytics 4) for usage analytics—see section 4

These providers process data only on our behalf, under strict confidentiality and security obligations, and in accordance with applicable data protection laws. Data may be processed in the European Union and other locations, with appropriate safeguards in place to protect your information.

7. Your Rights (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Union, you have the right to:

  • request access to your data
  • request correction or deletion
  • object to processing in certain cases
  • file a complaint with a data protection authority

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at: contact@tippingrules.com

8. Children's Privacy

Our service is not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at contact@tippingrules.com and we will take steps to delete such information.

9. Data Security

We apply appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect the service, including:

  • HTTPS encryption
  • security headers
  • input validation and rate limiting

No system is 100% secure, but we take reasonable steps to protect data.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time.
When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.

If we introduce new features, partnerships, or monetization models in the future (such as advertising or paid services), we will update this Privacy Policy accordingly before such changes take effect.

11. Contact

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle data, contact us at: contact@tippingrules.com