Privacy Policy
Overview
Payfair ("we", "our", "us") operates the payfair.cash website and the Payfair Android application. This policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and your rights regarding that data. This policy applies to both the website and the mobile app.
Information We Collect
Account Information (Android App)
When you create an account, we collect:
- Email address — for authentication and account recovery.
- Phone number — for SMS-based authentication.
- Full name — for your profile.
- Date of birth — to verify you meet the minimum age requirement (16+).
- Sex and ethnicity (optional) — voluntarily provided for demographic research; you may select "prefer not to say".
- Profile photo (optional) — stored securely on our servers.
If you sign in with Google, we receive your name, email address, and profile picture from Google.
Location Data
- Pickup and drop-off coordinates that you provide when comparing fares.
- Approximate device location — only when you explicitly tap the "Detect Location" button. We never collect location in the background.
Location coordinates are used to calculate routes, estimate fares, and improve price accuracy. Coordinates from fare comparisons are stored in our analytics database to improve fare estimates over time.
Fare Comparison Data
When you compare fares (on the app or website), we collect:
- Pickup and drop-off coordinates.
- Fare quotes returned by ride-hailing providers (price, tier, ETA, surge status).
- Route distance and duration.
- An anonymous session identifier (UUID) that is not linked to your account.
- App version (on Android).
Device Information (Android App)
We collect basic device information including manufacturer, model, operating system version, screen resolution, and mobile country/network code. This information is used for compatibility purposes and may be forwarded to ride-hailing provider APIs during authentication.
Website Usage
- Local storage — we store recent searches and display preferences (e.g., weather effects toggle) in your browser's local storage. No cookies are used for tracking.
- Analytics — we use Ahrefs Analytics to collect aggregated, anonymized website traffic data (page views, referrer, browser type). Ahrefs does not use cookies or track individual users.
How We Use Information
- Provide fare estimates and comparisons across ride-hailing services.
- Improve the accuracy of our fare estimation models using anonymized comparison data.
- Authenticate your account and verify your identity.
- Send one-time verification codes via SMS or email.
- Maintain security, prevent abuse, and enforce rate limits.
- Display relevant advertisements.
Third-Party Services
We use third-party services for mapping and routing, analytics, authentication, messaging, and advertising. These services may receive limited data necessary for their function (such as coordinates for route calculation or an email address for sending verification codes). Each third-party service processes data according to its own privacy policy.
Data Storage and Security
- Account data is stored in encrypted databases hosted on Railway (cloud infrastructure).
- On-device data (Android) is stored using Android's EncryptedSharedPreferences with AES-256 encryption.
- Fare comparison data is stored in PostgreSQL for analytics. This data is associated with anonymous session identifiers, not user accounts.
- Passwords are never stored — we use one-time verification codes for authentication.
- All data in transit is encrypted via HTTPS/TLS.
Data Retention
- Account data — retained until you delete your account.
- Fare comparison analytics — retained indefinitely in anonymized form to improve fare estimates.
- Verification codes — automatically deleted after 10 minutes.
- Local storage (website) — recent searches are retained until you clear browser data. Last route is automatically cleared after 24 hours.
Data We Do Not Collect
- We do not collect your advertising ID.
- We do not track your location in the background.
- We do not use tracking cookies on the website.
- We do not sell your personal data to third parties.
- We do not collect IMEI, hardware serial numbers, or MAC addresses.
Your Rights
- Access — view your account data in the app's Account screen.
- Correction — update your profile information at any time in the app.
- Deletion — request account deletion via payfair.cash/deletemeplease or the "Delete Account" option in app settings. Your data will be permanently removed within 30 days. Signing in again within this period cancels the deletion.
- Portability — contact us to request an export of your data.
Android App Permissions
| Permission | Why We Need It |
|---|---|
| Internet | Required to fetch fare estimates and communicate with our servers. |
| Location | Used only when you tap "Detect Location" to auto-fill your pickup address. Never accessed in the background. |
| Camera | Optional — used only if you choose to take a profile photo. |
| Notifications | Optional — for price alerts and updates if you enable them. |
Children's Privacy
Payfair is not intended for users under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be noted with an updated "Last updated" date at the top of this page.
Contact
If you have questions about this policy or wish to exercise your data rights, contact us at hello@payfair.cash.