Privacy Policy

Who we are

hellobills.co.uk ("hellobills", "we", "us") is a UK-based household bills information website. We provide free guides, comparison content, and deal recommendations to help UK households reduce their bills. Our contact page is available at /contact.

What data we collect

We collect as little personal data as possible. Here is what we may collect and why:

Email address (if you sign up)

If you subscribe to our bill reminder emails, we collect your email address. We use it solely to send you quarterly bill alerts. We do not sell, rent, or share your email address with any third party. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in every email.

Legal basis: Consent (Article 6(1)(a) UK GDPR). You actively opt in by submitting the form.

Analytics data

We use privacy-friendly analytics to understand which pages are visited and how the site is used in aggregate. We do not track individual users, do not use fingerprinting, and do not build personal profiles.

Legal basis: Legitimate interest (Article 6(1)(f) UK GDPR) in improving site content and performance.

Contact form submissions

If you use our contact form, we collect whatever information you provide (typically name and email). We use it only to respond to your enquiry and delete it once resolved.

Legal basis: Legitimate interest in responding to enquiries.

Cookies and tracking

Cookies we set

hellobills itself sets no first-party tracking cookies. We may use a cookie to remember your cookie consent preference.

Third-party cookies

The following third-party services may set cookies on our site:

Google AdSense: We display advertisements through Google AdSense, which may use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this and other websites. You can opt out of personalised advertising at Google Ads Settings or via aboutads.info.

Affiliate partners: When you click an affiliate link, the destination site may set its own cookies to track the referral. These are governed by the partner's own privacy policy, not ours.

Managing cookies

You can block or delete cookies at any time through your browser settings. Blocking third-party cookies will prevent personalised ads but will not affect site functionality.

Affiliate links

Some pages contain affiliate links to energy suppliers, broadband providers, insurance comparison sites, and other services. When you click through and sign up or purchase, we may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Affiliate relationships never influence our editorial content or recommendations. For full details, see our Affiliate Disclosure.

Data sharing

We do not sell your personal data. We share data only with:

Email service provider: If you subscribe, your email address is stored with our email delivery provider to send you bill alerts. They process data on our behalf under a data processing agreement.

Hosting provider: Our site is hosted on Vercel. Vercel may process server logs containing IP addresses for security purposes. See Vercel's privacy policy.

Data retention

Email subscribers: We keep your email address until you unsubscribe. After unsubscribing, we delete it within 30 days.
Contact form data: Deleted once your enquiry is resolved, or within 12 months at most.
Analytics data: Aggregated, non-personal data is retained indefinitely.

Your rights under UK GDPR

As a UK resident, you have the right to:

Access the personal data we hold about you.
Rectification if any data is inaccurate or incomplete.
Erasure ("right to be forgotten") of your personal data.
Restrict processing in certain circumstances.
Data portability to receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
Object to processing based on legitimate interest.
Withdraw consent at any time where consent is the legal basis.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us via our contact page. We will respond within 30 days.

Children's privacy

hellobills is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The "last updated" date at the top of this page will always reflect the most recent version. Material changes will be highlighted on the site.

Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we handle your data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

Contact

For any privacy-related questions, contact us via our contact page.