Cookie Policy
Understanding how we use cookies to provide you with the best price comparison experience
Last updated: 13th October 2025
Cookie Preference Centre
Manage your cookie preferences for our price comparison website. You can enable or disable different categories of cookies below.
Essential Cookies
Required for basic website functionality
Purpose: Enable core website functionality, form submissions, and security features.
Data Collected: Session identifiers, form data, security tokens
Cookies Used: PHPSESSID, csrf_token, form_session
Retention Period: Session-based (deleted when browser closes)
Third Parties: None
Analytics Cookies
Help us understand how visitors use our website
Purpose: Analyse website usage, popular pages, and user behaviour patterns to improve our service.
Data Collected: Page views, session duration, referral sources, device information
Cookies Used: _ga, _gat, _gid, _analytics_session
Retention Period: 2 years (Google Analytics), 30 minutes (session tracking)
Third Parties: Google Analytics
Marketing Cookies
Show you relevant price comparison offers
Purpose: Display personalised price comparison results and relevant provider offers based on your preferences.
Data Collected: Business type preferences, provider interactions, quote requests
Cookies Used: _marketing_prefs, _provider_clicks, _quote_history
Retention Period: 1 year
Third Parties: Provider comparison platforms, advertising networks
Personalisation Cookies
Remember your preferences and settings
Purpose: Save your business type, location, and comparison preferences for a better user experience.
Data Collected: Business type, postcode area, previous searches, preferred providers
Cookies Used: _user_prefs, _business_type, _location_prefs
Retention Period: 6 months
Third Parties: None
Cookie Retention Timeline
Complete Cookie Inventory
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Expiry | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHPSESSID | Swipe Smart | Maintains user session for form submissions | Session | Essential |
| csrf_token | Swipe Smart | Prevents cross-site request forgery attacks | Session | Essential |
| _ga | Google Analytics | Distinguishes unique users for analytics | 2 years | Analytics |
| _gid | Google Analytics | Distinguishes unique users for analytics | 24 hours | Analytics |
| _user_prefs | Swipe Smart | Stores user preference settings | 6 months | Personalisation |
| _marketing_prefs | Swipe Smart | Tracks marketing campaign effectiveness | 1 year | Marketing |
What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files that are stored on your computer or mobile device when you visit our price comparison website. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently, provide information to website owners, and enhance your browsing experience.
On Swipe Smart, we use cookies to help you compare card readers and EPOS systems more effectively by remembering your business type, location preferences, and previous searches. This means you don't have to re-enter this information each time you visit our website.
Types of Cookies We Use
First-Party Cookies
Set by Swipe Smart directly. These help us provide our price comparison service, remember your preferences, and understand how you use our website.
Third-Party Cookies
Set by external services we use, such as Google Analytics for website analytics and payment provider platforms for quote comparisons.
Session Cookies
Temporary cookies that are deleted when you close your browser. Essential for completing quote requests and maintaining security.
Persistent Cookies
Remain on your device for a set period. Used to remember your preferences and provide personalised price comparisons on return visits.
How We Use Cookies
Essential Website Functions
- • Processing quote requests and form submissions
- • Maintaining security and preventing fraud
- • Enabling basic website navigation
- • Remembering items in your comparison basket
- • Providing access to secure areas of the website
Improving Your Experience
- • Remembering your business type and preferences
- • Showing relevant provider recommendations
- • Personalising price comparison results
- • Avoiding duplicate quote requests
- • Providing faster loading times
Website Analytics
- • Understanding which providers are most popular
- • Identifying areas for website improvement
- • Measuring the effectiveness of our service
- • Tracking conversion rates for quote requests
- • Analysing user journey patterns
Marketing and Advertising
- • Showing relevant provider offers
- • Measuring campaign effectiveness
- • Preventing duplicate promotional displays
- • Personalising marketing content
- • Understanding referral sources
Managing Your Cookie Settings
On This Website
Use our Cookie Preference Centre above to manage your cookie settings for this website. Your preferences will be saved and applied to future visits.
Browser-Specific Cookie Deletion
Google Chrome
- 1. Click the three dots menu (⋮) in the top right
- 2. Select "Settings"
- 3. Click "Privacy and security"
- 4. Select "Cookies and other site data"
- 5. Click "See all cookies and site data"
- 6. Search for our website and delete cookies
Mozilla Firefox
- 1. Click the menu button (☰) in the top right
- 2. Select "Settings"
- 3. Click "Privacy & Security"
- 4. Under "Cookies and Site Data", click "Manage Data"
- 5. Search for our website
- 6. Select and remove cookies
Microsoft Edge
- 1. Click the three dots menu (...) in the top right
- 2. Select "Settings"
- 3. Click "Cookies and site permissions"
- 4. Select "Manage and delete cookies and site data"
- 5. Click "See all cookies and site data"
- 6. Find our website and delete cookies
Safari
- 1. Go to Safari menu > Preferences
- 2. Click the "Privacy" tab
- 3. Click "Manage Website Data"
- 4. Search for our website
- 5. Select our site and click "Remove"
- 6. Click "Done" to save changes
Third-Party Cookie Information
Some cookies on our website are set by third-party services that we use to provide our price comparison service. Here's information about these services and how to manage their cookies:
Google Analytics
AnalyticsWe use Google Analytics to understand how visitors interact with our price comparison website. This helps us improve our service and provide better provider recommendations.
Cookies Used: _ga, _gat, _gid
Data Collected: Anonymous usage statistics, page views, session duration
Opt-out: Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on
Privacy Policy: Google Privacy Policy
Payment Provider Platforms
FunctionalWhen you request quotes from payment providers through our platform, some providers may set cookies to track quote requests and prevent duplication.
Purpose: Quote tracking, preventing duplicate requests, provider attribution
Control: You can disable these by turning off marketing cookies in your preferences above
Providers: Various payment service providers and EPOS system companies
Legal Compliance & Your Rights
GDPR Compliance
We comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR). You have the right to control how cookies are used on our website.
Legal Basis: Legitimate interests for essential and analytics cookies, consent for marketing and personalisation cookies
Data Controller: Swipe Smart Ltd
Your Rights
Right to Consent
Control which cookies are set on your device
Right to Withdraw Consent
Change your cookie preferences at any time
Right to Information
Understand how your data is processed
Right to Complain
Contact the ICO if you have concerns
Cookie-Related Questions & Support
Need Help with Cookie Settings?
If you need assistance managing your cookie preferences or have questions about how we use cookies on our price comparison website, our support team is here to help.
Common Cookie Questions
Will disabling cookies affect price comparisons?
Essential cookies are required for basic functionality. Disabling personalisation cookies may result in less tailored recommendations.
How often should I review my cookie settings?
We recommend reviewing your preferences every 6 months or when our cookie policy updates.
Data Protection Officer Contact
For specific questions about data processing and cookie compliance, you can contact our Data Protection Officer:
Cookie Policy Updates
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in technology, legislation, or our business practices. When we make significant changes, we will:
- • Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this policy
- • Display a notification on our website about the changes
- • Ask for your renewed consent if required by law
- • Provide clear information about what has changed
Stay Updated
We recommend bookmarking this page and checking it periodically to stay informed about how we use cookies. Significant changes will require your active consent.