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Cookies Policy - Money Saving Expert

Why and where we use them

Updated 19 August 2019

This is the Cookie Policy for MoneySavingExpert.com, our related mobile apps or other similar devices, our tools and the MSE Forum (the "Site").

Protecting your personal information is really important to us and falls squarely into our strategy of helping you, the consumer. We recommend you read our Privacy Policy which details how we collect, use and protect your personal information.

Cookies Policy Q&A

  • What is a cookie?

    A cookie is a small computer file, which may be downloaded to your computer's hard drive when you visit a website. Cookies are harmless files which can help improve your experience of using a website if your browser's preferences allow it. The website can tailor its operations to your needs, likes and dislikes by gathering and remembering your online preferences.

    Cookies work by dropping a small text file onto your local hard drive, which allow the website to read information that is stored within that file.

    Most cookies are deleted as soon as you close your browser – these are called session cookies. Others, known as persistent cookies, are stored on your computer until you delete them or they automatically expire. The list of cookies we use includes information on how long each one lasts, and we explain below how you can control or delete them yourself. If you return to MoneySavingExpert after a previous visit, we will only drop session cookies, or any persistent cookies which have been removed or expired.

    We use traffic log cookies to identify which pages are being used. This helps us analyse data about web page traffic and improve our Sites to tailor them to user needs. We only use this information for statistical analysis purposes and then the data is removed from the system.

    We also work with third parties in providing you services through our Site and they may set a cookie on your computer as part of this arrangement.

  • How does MoneySavingExpert.com use cookies?

    In general, the cookies used by MoneySavingExpert.com fall into four groups:

    Critical: These cookies are necessary to enable you to use our Site. Without these cookies, our Site won't work properly and you may not be able to use our tools.

    Functionality: These cookies allow us to remember the choices you make (such as your user name) and provide enhanced, more personal features. For example, the free tools we build often use a cookie to make them easier to use. The cookie may remember which questions you have answered in a quiz so that we can tell you your score.

    User interactions and analytics: These help us see which articles, tools and deals are of most interest to you. Information is all collected anonymously – we don't know which people have done what.

    Advertising or tracking: We don't allow advertising (for more on this, see How This Site Is Financed). But we do promote ourselves on third-party sites and use cookies to let you know about what we think you'll be interested in, based on your previous visits to our Site. The cookies help us understand how effectively we're doing this and limit the number of times you see our promotions. We also include links to social networks such as Facebook, and if you interact with this content, the social networks may use information about your interactions to target advertising to you on their websites.

    Any cookies which are not used to make your experience of getting to and using the Site better only provide us with statistics about the way users in general navigate the Site. We do not use any information derived from cookies to identify any individual users.

    We audit the types of cookies that are used on our Site, but it is possible that the services we use may make changes to their cookie names and purposes. Some services, particularly social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, change their cookies regularly. We always aim to show you up-to-date information, but may not be able to reflect these changes in our policy straightaway.

  • How can I control or delete these cookies?

    The majority of web browsers automatically enable cookies as a default setting. To stop cookies being stored on your computer in future, you'll need to alter the settings of your internet browser. You can find instructions on how to do this by clicking 'Help' in the menu bar, or following these browser-by-browser instructions from AllAboutCookies.org.

    For Google Analytics cookies you can also stop Google from collecting your information by downloading and installing the Google Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

    If you want to delete any cookies already on your computer, you'll need to locate the file or directory that your computer stores them in – this removing cookies
    information should help. Our cookies will have the file names yourname@forum.moneysavingexpert.txt or yourname@moneysavingexpert.txt.

    Please note that by deleting our cookies or disabling future cookies you may not be able to post messages in our forums. Further information on deleting or controlling cookies is available at AllAboutCookies.org.

Cookies We Use

This section details the cookies we use.

We try to ensure this list is always up to date, but it is possible that the services we use may make changes to their cookie names and purposes and we may not be able to reflect these changes in this policy straightaway.

Section

Sub Section

Description

Name

How long do we keep it for?

Site

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tip Cookie

If you're new to the Site, you should have seen a pop-up inviting you to sign up for our free weekly email. This makes sure you only see it once if you're a regular visitor.

tip

90 days

Cookie notifications

When you're new to the Site, you'll see a cookies message letting you know how and why we use cookies. We drop a cookie to make sure you only see this message once. We also drop a cookie to notify you if we're experiencing issues dropping cookies that may affect your experience.

cookieNotification-test2

1 year

dropCookieTest

1 day

Loadbalancing

When you enter the site, this cookie will help maintain the stability and functionality of the site, meaning that you have a good online experience.

__cfduid

1 year

Swipe Hint Cookie

If you're new to the Site, and on a mobile device, we give you a hint to show you how to use our scrolling top menu. This cookie ensures we don't show you this hint again if you're a regular visitor.

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swipeHint

90 days

VisitorId

We use this unique ID to remember a user's interactions on our Site to help us make your browsing experience better.

visitorid

1 year

Source

We use this cookie to store where you have come from and to help deliver to you better and more relevant information about our Site that we think you'd be interested in.

source

Session

web-session-id

This is a unique ID used to remember your interactions on our Site to help us make your Site experience better.

web-session-id

Session

Tools and calculators

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eligibility Tools

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What does it do? A session cookie is stored in temporary memory and is not retained after the browser is closed. Session cookies do not collect information from your computer. They typically store information in the form of a session identification that does not identify you personally.

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Necessary? Yes – you cannot complete a search without a session cookie as it allows the application to confirm who you are.

session-id

90 minutes

AntiXSRFToken

1 year

hdasc

1 year

Forum WOW Feeder

What does it do? This makes sure the forum deals-feed warning message is only shown once. If accepted, this allows us to tell you that the forum content is user driven and not verified by us.

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Necessary? Yes, it's required to allow you to continue to the deal.

forum_jump_agree

1 year

Ebay Local Deals Finder

What does it do? Sets a cookie to store your postcode.

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Necessary? No. It's not essential for the tool to work, but it should make using it easier.

Local_postcode_mse

1 year

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Cheap Energy Club

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TABLE_CELL_STYLE

TABLE_CELL_STYLE

TABLE_CELL_STYLE

TABLE_CELL_STYLE

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What does it do? Cheap Energy Club uses six cookies to improve user experience. The use of these cookies allows us to keep you logged in and to serve you more relevant content. It also makes it easier for our user support team to answer your questions.

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Necessary? The sessionId cookie is necessary, as Cheap Energy Club will only work if it's enabled. The other five cookies are not necessary, but if disabled, Cheap Energy Club won't be as easy to use.

sessionId

1 year

LandingPage

1 year

CECSource

1 year

LegacySource

1 year

ECSession

Session

IsAuthenticated

1 year

JSESSIONID

1 year

Collective-switch-tariff

1 year

isGuest

1 year

cecOkOrBetterModalCookie

1 year

Credit Club

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What does it do? Credit Club uses four cookies. The use of three of these cookies allows us to authenticate you and protect your data by logging you out after inactivity. The fourth cookie is used to help us identify you through your journey and ensure we tie your user experience together.

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Necessary? The JSESSIONID, ccSessionId and lastActivity cookies are necessary, as Credit Club will only work if they are enabled. The other cookie, visitorId, is not necessary, but if disabled, Credit Club won't be as easy to use.

JSESSIONID

1 year

ccSessionID

1 year

cc-token

1 year

rx*

1 year

dt*

1 year

MSE Forum

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

bbboard_agreement

Used in the gambling forum plug-in. You must agree to the specific rules for that forum before you can post.

bbboard_agreement

1 year

bbcoppaage

Used in the verification form feature on the registration process.

bbcoppaage

1 year

bblanguageid

Used for changing the language on forum accounts.

bblanguageid

1 year

bblastactivity

Checks what you did when you last used the forum. A constantly updated cookie.

bblastactivity

1 year

Bblastvisit

Updates the last visit and last activity times for guests and registered users (differently). Last visit is set to the last activity time (before it's updated). Last activity is always set to the specified time.

bblastvisit

1 year

bbpassword

Stores an encrypted version of your password, when you are logged in to the forum. It's checked every time the page loads.

bbpassword

1 year

bbpoll_voted

Checks to see if you have already voted in the poll that you are viewing.

bbpoll_voted

1 year

bbsessionhash

This is needed for security. It's checked on every page-load.

bbsessionhash

1 year

bbspam_report

Used for updating thread-counts when a thread is removed.

bbspam_report

1 year

Bbstyleid

This remembers the forum style you have chosen.

bbstyleid

1 year

bbthread_lastview

This is the ID of the last viewed thread.

bbthread_lastview

1 year

bbthread_rate

This stores your thread rating.

bbthread_rate

1 year

Bbuserid

This stores your user ID. We check it every time a page loads.

bbuserid

1 year

bdiscussion_marking

Used for checking the read time of a discussion.

bdiscussion_marking

1 year

forum_view

Used to change the view of the forum.

forum_view

1 year

Forumpwd

If you enter a protected forum, this stores the password.

Forumpwd

1 year

Referrerid

Used to store the ID of an account.

Referrerid

1 year

Threadedmode

Used if you would like to switch between 'linear', 'hybrid' and 'threaded' display modes.

Threadedmode

1 year

vbulletin_collapse

Used to store a list of 'collapsable' boxes.

vbulletin_collapse

1 year

vbulletin_inlinepicture

Used if you want to remove an image.

vbulletin_inlinepicture

1 year

vbulletin_inlinepm

Used for when you want to mass-manage private messages on private.php using the check boxes.

vbulletin_inlinepm

1 year

vbulletin_inlinepost

Used to store a list of post IDs for multiple purposes such as copypost, spampost, dodeletespam and forum_prune.

vbulletin_inlinepost

1 year

vbulletin_inlinethread

Used to store the thread or post ID when you edit the content inline.

vbulletin_inlinethread

1 year

vbulletin_inlinevmessage

Used to store visitor messages.

vbulletin_inlinevmessage

1 year

vbulletin_multiquote

Used to store the content of a post if you want to quote it in one of your own posts.

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vbulletin_multiquote

1 year

Third Parties

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Google Analytics

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We use this to understand how the Site is being used and accessed to improve the user experience – user data is all anonymous. Google stores the information collected by the cookies on servers in the United States. Google may also transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google's behalf. Any information generated by these cookies will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy, this Cookie Policy and Google's privacy policy and cookie policy.

_gid

1 day

_ga

1 year

_gcl_au

3 months

_gat*

1 minute

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Google Adwords

TABLE_CELL_STYLE

TABLE_CELL_STYLE

We also use Google Analytics remarketing-features cookies to optimise Google search results based on users' previous visits to our Site. User data is all anonymous. Google stores the information collected by the cookies on servers in the United States. Google may also transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google's behalf. Any information generated by these cookies will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy, this Cookie Policy and Google's privacy policy and cookie policy.

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Google Adwords

30 days

Bing UET Tags

We use Bing Universal Event Tracking (UET) tags to understand how the Site is being used to improve the user experience and to show content to you on other Microsoft services such as Outlook, MSN and Bing that you use, based on your previous visits to the Site. User data is all anonymous. Bing UET tags are a service of Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft may transfer the information collected by the cookies to servers outside the EEA in countries that have the appropriate safeguards. Any information generated by these cookies will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy, this Cookie Policy and Bing Ads' privacy policy.

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Bing UET Tags

1 year

Chartbeat

This helps us see where people are on our Site so we can tailor articles and user experience. User data is all anonymous.

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_cb*

13 months

_chartbeat2

13 months

Content Square

We use this to understand how the Site is being used to improve the user experience. User data is all anonymous. If you'd like to opt out of this monitoring, please click the link below this table. If you'd like to view ContentSquare's privacy policy, please click here.

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_cs*

13 months

ZenDesk

We use Zendesk to power some of our FAQ systems. These cookies assist with the functionality when navigating through our FAQs. User data is all anonymous and is retained only for the duration of your session.

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_help_center_session

48 hours

Facebook

Facebook uses cookies when you share content from our Site on Facebook. We also use Facebook Analytics to understand how our Facebook page and Site are being used and to optimise Facebook user activities based on users interacting with our Facebook content. User data is all anonymous. Any information generated by these cookies will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy, this Cookie Policy, and Facebook's privacy policy and cookie policy.

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Facebook

3 months

Optimzely

We use optimizley to maintain the performance of our site and for AB testing

optimizelyEndUserId

7 Months

Twitter

Twitter uses cookies when you share content from our Site on Twitter.

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Twitter

30 days
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What the * means above
If a link has an * by it, that means it is an affiliated link and therefore it helps MoneySavingExpert stay free to use, as it is tracked to us. If you go through it, it can sometimes result in a payment or benefit to the site. It's worth noting this means the third party used may be named on any credit agreements.

You shouldn’t notice any difference and the link will never negatively impact the product. Plus the editorial line (the things we write) is NEVER impacted by these links. We aim to look at all available products. If it isn't possible to get an affiliate link for the top deal, it is still included in exactly the same way, just with a non-paying link. For more details, read How This Site Is Financed.

MoneySupermarket.com Financial Group Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN: 303190). The registered office address of both MoneySupermarket.com Group PLC and MoneySupermarket.com Financial Group Limited (registered in England No. 3157344) is MoneySupermarket House, St. David's Park, Ewloe, Chester, CH5 3UZ. MoneySavingExpert.com Limited is an appointed representative of MoneySupermarket.com Financial Group Limited.