Privacy Policy
The short version. Mone$ter watches prices on things you've already bought so you can claim price-adjustment refunds. To do that we need your receipts, an account so we can save your data, and permission to send you push notifications when a price drops. We don't sell your data, we don't show you ads, and you can delete your account and everything in it from inside the app at any time.
1. Who we are
Mone$ter is a receipt price-drop tracker built in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. When this policy says "we," "us," or "Mone$ter," we mean the operator of the Mone$ter mobile apps (iOS and Android) and the website at monester.app.
This policy explains what information we collect when you use Mone$ter, how we use it, who we share it with, and what choices you have. It applies to the Mone$ter mobile apps and to monester.app.
2. Information we collect
2.1 Information you give us
- Account information. When you sign up, we collect your email address. If you sign in with Google, we also receive your name, email address, profile photo, and a Google account identifier from Google. You can read what Google shares with apps at policies.google.com/privacy.
- Receipts. When you scan or upload a receipt, we receive the image and the information we extract from it: the store, the date, the line items, the price you paid for each item, taxes, and the total. We need this to watch prices for you.
- Preferences. Settings you choose in the app, such as which retailers you've enabled and which notifications you want to receive.
- Waitlist email. If you sign up on monester.app, we store your email address so we can tell you when the app is available.
2.2 Information we collect automatically
- Device and app information. Basic identifiers needed to run the app — for example your device's operating system version, app version, and a Firebase installation ID — collected through Firebase services.
- Push notification token. If you allow notifications, we store the push token issued by Apple or Google so we can send you alerts when a price drops.
- Diagnostic and crash data. When the app crashes or hits an unexpected error, we collect a crash report through Sentry. This typically includes the device type, OS version, app version, a stack trace, and a short trail of actions ("breadcrumbs") that led up to the error. We use this to fix bugs.
- Camera and photo library access. The app requests permission to use your camera and photo library so you can capture or pick a receipt. Images you don't upload never leave your device.
2.3 Information we do not collect
- We do not collect your location.
- We do not access your contacts.
- We do not record audio. (The Android build declares the audio permission because it is required by one of our SDKs for unrelated camera features. We never use it to record sound.)
- We do not collect payment or banking information. Mone$ter does not process payments, and refunds are claimed directly with the retailer.
- We do not show advertising or share data with advertising networks.
3. How we use your information
We use the information we collect only to operate, maintain, and improve Mone$ter:
- To create and secure your account and let you sign in.
- To read the line items from your receipts and store them so we can watch prices.
- To check current prices at supported retailers and detect price drops within each retailer's price-adjustment window.
- To send you push notifications and emails about price drops, account activity, and important service updates.
- To diagnose crashes, fix bugs, and improve performance.
- To respond to your support requests.
- To prevent fraud and abuse and to enforce our terms.
- To comply with our legal obligations.
We do not use your data to train machine-learning models that are shared with third parties, and we do not sell your personal information.
4. How we share your information
We don't sell your personal information. We share the information we collect only with the service providers we need to run Mone$ter, and only to the extent they need it to do their job for us.
| Service provider | What they do for us | Where you can read their policy |
|---|---|---|
| Google Cloud / Firebase | Account sign-in, database, file storage, cloud functions, and push notification delivery. | firebase.google.com/support/privacy |
| Amazon Web Services | Receipt images are sent to AWS to be read by an AI model so we can extract the line items and prices. | aws.amazon.com/privacy |
| Sentry | Receives crash reports and diagnostic events so we can fix bugs. | sentry.io/privacy |
| Expo | Delivers app updates and helps route push notifications. | expo.dev/privacy |
| Apple & Google | Distribute the mobile apps and deliver push notifications to your device. | apple.com/legal/privacy · policies.google.com/privacy |
We will share information with retailers only at your direction — for example, if you tap a link in the app to claim a refund, you are leaving Mone$ter and dealing with the retailer directly under their own privacy policy.
We may disclose information if we believe in good faith that disclosure is required by law, court order, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Mone$ter, our users, or the public. If Mone$ter is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, we will give you notice before your information is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.
5. How long we keep your information
- Account information is kept while your account is active. When you delete your account in the app, you have a 30-day grace period to cancel by signing back in. After that, your account and all of your data are permanently deleted.
- Receipts and price history are kept while your account is active or until you delete them in the app.
- Receipt images are deleted from our storage shortly after we have extracted the line items, typically within 90 days, unless you need them retained for a refund claim.
- Crash and diagnostic data is retained for up to 90 days by our error-reporting provider.
- Waitlist emails are kept until the app is generally available, or until you ask us to remove them.
We may keep limited records longer where required by law, to resolve disputes, or to enforce our agreements.
6. Your rights and choices
You have the following choices about your information:
- Access and correction. You can view most of your account information directly in the app, and you can email us to request a copy of the information we hold about you.
- Delete your account. You can delete your account and all of your receipts from inside the app under Settings, or by emailing us. After you confirm, you have a 30-day grace period during which signing back in will cancel the deletion. Once the grace period passes, your account, receipts, alerts, and uploaded receipt images are permanently deleted from our active systems within 24 hours.
- Turn off notifications. You can turn off push notifications in your phone's settings at any time.
- Revoke camera or photo access. You can revoke camera or photo library access in your phone's settings. Some features won't work without those permissions.
- Unsubscribe from the waitlist. Reply to any waitlist email and ask us to remove you, or email us at the address below.
Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights under laws such as Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), Quebec's Law 25, the EU and UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and similar laws. These may include the right to access, correct, delete, or port your information, to object to or restrict certain processing, and to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority. To exercise any of these rights, email us at the address below and we'll respond within the time required by the law that applies to you.
7. Security
We use industry-standard safeguards — encryption in transit (HTTPS/TLS), encryption at rest with our cloud providers, access controls on our infrastructure, and the security of our authentication provider — to protect your information. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, so we can't guarantee absolute security, but we work to protect your information and will notify you and any required regulators if we ever become aware of a breach involving your personal data.
8. Children
Mone$ter is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.
9. International users
Mone$ter is operated from Canada, and our service providers may process your information in Canada, the United States, and other countries where they operate. By using Mone$ter you understand that your information may be transferred to, stored in, and processed in countries other than the one you live in, where data protection laws may differ. We rely on appropriate safeguards (such as standard contractual clauses) where required by law.
10. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we'll change the "Last updated" date at the top of this page, and if the changes are material we'll let you know in the app or by email before they take effect. If you keep using Mone$ter after a change takes effect, you accept the updated policy.
11. Contact us
Questions, requests, or complaints about this policy or your data? Email us at support@monester.app. We aim to respond within 7 days.
Mone$ter · Waterloo, Ontario, Canada