First Class Feral ("we", "I") is a points and miles travel content and consulting business operating at firstclassferal.com. This policy explains what information this site collects, why, and how to get it removed.
The short version: this site does not run advertising trackers, does not set analytics cookies, and does not sell or rent your information to anyone. If you only browse, we collect nothing about you personally. If you join the email list, we collect your email address. If you book a consultation, you tell us detailed information about your points and finances, and we use it only to build your plan.
What we collect
Your email address, if you sign up for the free guide, the newsletter, or any other email list on this site. Signups are handled by MailerLite. We use your address to send you the thing you asked for and occasional emails about points, travel, and our products.
Purchase information, if you buy a guide, kit, or consultation. Payments are processed by Stripe. Stripe collects your payment details and shares a receipt record with us, including your email address and what you bought. We never see or store your full card number.
Consultation intake information, if you book a trip consultation or portfolio build and complete the intake form. This form is hosted on Google Forms and is the most detailed information we collect. Depending on the service you choose, it asks for:
- Your name, email address, and phone number
- Your travel plans, dates, destinations, and who is travelling with you, including the ages of any children
- Your points and miles balances across card, airline, and hotel programs, and any certificates or credits you hold
- Which credit cards you hold and roughly when you opened them
- For portfolio builds specifically: your approximate credit score range, roughly what you spend each month by category, your approximate rent or mortgage payment, and whether you have side or business income
- Your budget for the trip
Booking a trip does not require your financial details. Credit score range, monthly spending, housing payment, and income are asked only for a Portfolio Build, where the whole job is recommending which cards fit your actual situation. If you are booking a trip, those questions do not apply to you and you do not need to answer them.
We ask for the rest because it is the only way to build an accurate points plan. A recommendation made without knowing your balances, your card history, or your budget is guesswork.
How we treat this information. We use it solely to prepare your plan and to communicate with you about it. We do not sell it, share it with card issuers or advertisers, or use it to target ads at you. We never ask for, and you should never send us, your full card numbers, card security codes, account login details, passwords, or Social Security number. We do not need them, and we cannot help you with anything that requires them.
What you tell us directly, if you email us. That includes whatever you choose to put in the message.
Standard server logs, kept automatically by our host, Netlify, as part of serving the site. These include IP addresses and browser information and are used for security and reliability, not to build a profile of you.
What we do not do
- We do not run Google Analytics, the Meta pixel, or any advertising or session-recording tracker on this site.
- We do not set analytics or advertising cookies.
- We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information.
- We do not send your information to anyone except the service providers listed below, who need it to do their job.
If that changes, this page changes with it, and the "last updated" date above will tell you.
Service providers we use
These companies process data on our behalf and have their own privacy policies:
- MailerLite, email list and delivery. Their privacy policy.
- Stripe, payment processing. Their privacy policy.
- Netlify, website hosting. Their privacy policy.
- Google, which hosts the consultation intake form and the inbox that receives it. Their privacy policy.
MailerLite records ordinary email engagement, such as whether a message was opened and whether a link was clicked, so we can tell which emails are useful. You can stop this at any time by unsubscribing.
Affiliate links and how we make money
Some links across First Class Feral, including on Pinterest, Instagram, in emails, and in our guides, are affiliate links. If you click one and buy something or open a card, we may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. First Class Feral participates in the Amazon Associates Program and may participate in other affiliate and card referral programs.
Two things we want to be straight about:
- A commission never buys a recommendation. We write about what we actually use and actually book. Where a card or product is worth it, we say so, and where it is not, we say that too.
- Affiliate networks use their own tracking. When you follow an affiliate link, the destination and its affiliate network may set cookies to attribute the sale. That happens on their side, under their privacy policies, not ours.
We also earn money directly from paid guides, kits, and consultations sold through Stripe.
Links to other sites
This site links out to places like Instagram, Pinterest, and booking or card issuer websites. Once you follow a link, you are on someone else's site under someone else's privacy policy, and we have no control over what they collect.
How long we keep things
Email list. We keep your address until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete it.
Consultation and portfolio intake. If you are an ongoing or returning client, we keep your intake as a client file so you do not have to fill the whole thing in again every time, and so advice builds on what we already know about your cards and balances. That file is kept in restricted storage, not left lying around, and is not shared with anyone.
If you do not come back, we delete your intake after 24 months of no contact. You can also ask us to delete it at any point before that, including immediately after your trip, and we will.
Purchase records. Stripe receipts and the corresponding records are kept as long as tax and accounting rules require, typically several years. This is the one category we cannot delete on request.
Your choices
- Unsubscribe at any time using the link at the bottom of any email. It takes effect immediately.
- Ask what we hold about you, and we will tell you.
- Ask us to delete your information, and we will, except where we are required to keep purchase records for tax and accounting purposes.
- Ask us to correct anything that is wrong.
To do any of these, email bferal@firstclassferal.com. Depending on where you live, such as the EU, UK, or California, you may have additional legal rights over your data. We honor these requests regardless of where you live, so you do not need to prove you qualify.
Children
This site is meant for adults and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children. If you believe a child has given us their information, email us and we will delete it.
Travel and financial content
Everything here is personal experience and general information about points, miles, and travel. It is not financial, tax, or legal advice, and it is not a recommendation to open any particular credit card. Points programs and card terms change constantly, so always confirm the current terms with the airline, hotel, or issuer before you act.
Changes to this policy
If this policy changes, the updated version will be posted here with a new date at the top. Significant changes affecting how we use your information will also be sent to the email list.
Contact
Questions about this policy, or about anything we hold about you: bferal@firstclassferal.com.