Continental Finance Company is committed to your privacy and strives to provide a safe and secure user experience. Our goal is to maintain your trust and confidence when handling personal and financial information about you.
This Privacy Statement describes how we collect, use and share information obtained by and through our website. The term "Continental Finance Company", the "Company" or "we" or "us" or "our" in this Statement means U.S. affiliates or subsidiaries of Continental Finance Company linking to this Statement.
Information that you provide to Continental Finance Company and Celtic when you apply for or obtain a product or service from us to be used primarily for personal, family or household purposes is also governed by a separate Privacy Policy. If you are such an applicant or customer, please refer to that notice for additional information about our privacy practices.
By using this website or our mobile applications, you agree to the terms and conditions of this Statement.
Our websites and apps are not intended to be used by children. We do not intentionally collect personal information from children under 13 without permission from their parent or legal guardians. For more information about the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), please refer to the FTC's website at https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/privacy-and-security/children%27s- privacy. When you use our website or our apps, we may collect Personal Information that you submit to us voluntarily, or Online Activity Data that we collect passively.
We collect general types of information about you when you visit and use our website, including personal information, demographic information, and online/mobile activity information.
Personal information is information that can be used to identify you. This is information which you are prompted to provide to us during the registration process or in customer service communications. This collection includes, but is not limited to, your name, address, telephone number(s), Social Security number and email address, credit card number(s) or bank account(s). We also obtain your credit report. This information may be collected when you voluntarily provide it to us through forms on our website or in our apps. These forms could include survey forms, credit card applications, and sign in pages for mobile application access.
Demographic information is information that may or may not be unique to you in the sense that it refers to selected population characteristics. Such information includes your ZIP code, telephone number(s) (including mobile phone type, number(s} and carrier}, birth date, gender, salary range, education and marital status, occupation, industry of employment, personal and online interests.
Online/Mobile Activity Data is information pertaining to how you use our website, the areas of our website that you visit, what services you access, and information about your computer hardware and software, including your IP address, geographic location, browser preference, display/screen settings, operating system type, domain names, times that you access the internet, social media preferences and other websites you have visited.
Third party information is information about you that we acquire from a third party which may include personal, demographic or behavioral information. This information may be combined with the information that we collect from our website.
Continental Finance Company may collect information about you when you browse our website or use our online services. We may collect Personal Information when you voluntarily provide it to us through forms on our website or in our mobile applications, such as survey forms, credit card account applications, contest entries, and login pages for online account management or mobile application access.
“Cookies”, a feature in your browser software, may be used to collect information. If enabled, cookies store small amounts of data on your computer about actions you take on the pages of our website and other online tracking devices such as pixel tags and clear GIFs (also known as web beacons) to collect Online/Mobile Activity Data from you depending on your browser settings. Cookies are small text files that a website’s server places on your computer. Cookies provide a means for websites that you visit to track browsing activities conducted with your computer. A Web beacon is a small string of software code that represents a graphic image on a website or email.
The Company may also partner with certain third parties to deliver advertisements and monitor activities on our own website and other websites. Our partners may use cookies, web beacons, and/or other monitoring technologies to compile statistics about website visitors.
Additionally, Continental Finance Company may collect Online/Mobile Activity Data when you access our mobile applications or use the browser on your mobile device to access our website. For example, if you have enabled location services on your mobile device, we may collect geolocation data from your device.
We may also collect Personal Information while monitoring and using our technology tools and services, including our interactive voice response systems. We may collect or receive information about you from other sources, such as keeping the contact details we already hold for you accurate and up to date using publicly available sources. Continental Finance Company may also collect Online Activity Data or information such as your likes, interests, feedback, and preferences when you interact with our official pages on social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram or from our social media partners (but only if you choose to share with them and they, in turn, share that information with us). Please refer to the policies of those companies to better understand your rights and obligations with regard to your activity on those websites.
Continental Finance Company may establish official pages on social media that will enable consumers and customers to discuss their experiences with our products and services. We may also partner with companies that operate social media websites through which you may engage with Continental Finance Company. When you interact with us on social media websites, we may collect information such as your likes, interests, feedback and preferences. When you interact with our partners, you are subject to their terms of use and privacy policies. We may collect information from our social media partners, but only if you choose to share with them and they, in turn, share such information with us. Never include sensitive personal, financial or other confidential information such as your Social Security number, account number, phone number, mailing address or email address when posting or commenting online. Any posts you make on our official social media pages -- including posts that contain pictures, comments, suggestions, opinions, complaints or Personal Information -- are available to others who use those pages and are subject to the terms of use and privacy policies of the companies that operate the websites on which they appear. Please refer to the policies of those companies to better understand your rights and obligations with regard to such posts. You are also subject to this Statement and our social media guidelines when you visit our official social media pages.
Cookie Type. We use “session” cookies which are not permanently stored on your hard drive. Session cookies usually expire after inactivity or when you close your browser. Session cookies allow us to keep track of this data until you have completed your search or registration. As you access our online services, cookies and similar technologies allow us to customize content and advertisements for our products and services on our websites or apps. In order to make content and advertising as relevant as possible, we may use information about your relationship with us (such as types of accounts and transactional information). Using cookies can give you additional or easier access to certain features on our website (such as allowing you to sign in easier) and can allow us to provide you with more personalized offers.
Removing Cookies. You have the ability to accept, decline or remove cookies, at any time, by modifying your browser settings. Please see the “help” section of your browser or read more about cookies at http://cookiecentral.com.
Web Beacons: We may use electronic images known as Web beacons (sometimes called single-pixel gifs, clear gifs or action tags) which allow us to collect information about your visit to our website, measure and improve the effectiveness of advertisements and track delivery of advertising. Web beacons collect only a limited set of information including a cookie number, time and date of page view, as well as a description of the page on which the Web beacon resides.
Disabling Web Beacon: Because Web beacons are the same as any other content request, you cannot opt out or refuse them. However, they can be rendered ineffective by either opting out of cookies or changing the cookie setup in your browser.
Providing Services and Products. We use the information we gather on our website to provide you with the services and or products you have requested. This may include passing your information on to a third party to provide such services or products. Although our contractual arrangement limits how this party can use your information, we do not control the privacy practices of third parties. If you have any questions or wish to remove your information from the third-party databases, you will need to contact that party directly.
Customer Support Service: We will use the information to confirm your registration and complete transactions requested by you or verify information you have provided to us to assist you with any support services you request.
Improving Our Website: We use the information we gather to respond to any inquires you make, operate and improve the functionality of our website, and deliver the products and services advertised on our website. Our services include the display of personalized products, content, and advertising, relating to your experience and interests.
Promotional Material: We will use the information to contact you when we have special offers or promotions.
Legitimate Business Purposes: We may use the information we gather on our website for any other legitimate business purpose, as permitted by law. We may also use the information for any other purpose for which we receive your specific consent.
We may use Personal Information and Online Activity Data we have collected for a variety of reasons, including:
to enable you to apply for a Company credit card
to enable you to use online tools or perform certain online transactions
to service and manage your account, including responding to or updating you on inquiries, or to contact you about your accounts or feedback
to offer you special products and services and deliver advertisements to you in the form of banner ads, interstitial pages (ads that appear as you sign in or sign out of your online accounts) or other promotions
to analyze whether our ads, promotions, and offers are effective
to help us determine whether you might be interested in new products or services, and to improve existing products and services
to verify your identity and/or location to allow access to your accounts, and conduct online transactions
to manage fraud and data security risk
to personalize and optimize your website browsing and app experiences by examining which parts of our website you visit or which aspect of our apps you find most useful
to comply with federal, state or local laws; civil, criminal or regulatory investigations; or other legal requirements
to share with trusted third parties who are contractually obligated to keep such information confidential, and
to use it only to provide the services we have asked them to perform. For a description of how Company may share information collected from consumers who have applied for or obtained a consumer product or service from us, please refer to the Privacy Policy.
We do not disclose your credit report, social security number, credit card or banking information to third parties not assisting us with supplying your request for products or services without your authorization. However, we disclose your other personal, demographic and behavioral information to third parties 30 days after registration throughout the world:
Product and Service Deliver: We share your information with third parties who help us in the delivery of the products and services you have requested.
Website Functionality: We share your information with companies and individuals we employ to perform technical functions on our behalf. Examples include third parties who host our website, analyze our data, provide marketing assistance, process credit card payments, and provide customer service.
Third Party Products and Service: We share your information with third parties who will provide you with their opportunities, products or services.
Anonymous information: We share aggregated anonymous information about you, combined with other persons using our website with third parties, so that they can understand the kinds of visitors that come to our website, and how those visitors use our website. This includes demographic information and behavioral information.
Legal Process. We disclose your information if legally required to do so, or at our discretion, pursuant to a request from a governmental entity, or if we believe in good faith that such action is necessary to (a) conform to legal requirements or comply with legal process; (b) protect our rights or property, or our affiliated companies; (c) prevent a crime or protect national security; or (d) protect the personal safety of users or the public.
Acquisition or Merger: We may disclose and transfer your information to a third party who acquires any or all of our business, whether such acquisition is by way of merger, consolidation or purchase of all or a substantial portion of our assets. In the event we become the subject of an insolvency proceeding, whether voluntary or involuntary, we or our liquidator, administrator, receiver or administrative receiver may sell, license or otherwise dispose of, such information in a transaction approved by the court.
Corporate Family: We may share information within our corporate family, such as with subsidiaries, joint ventures, or affiliates, to the extent permitted by law.
With Consent: We may disclose your information to any other third party with your consent.
Your Choices: We offer you different choices about how we communicate with you and use your information.
You can limit the information you provide to us. Participation in promotions and programs is voluntary.
You can limit the communications that we send to you. To opt-out of marketing emails, simply click the link labeled “unsubscribe” at the bottom of any marketing email we send you. To revoke permissions that you may have given to send text messages, text STOP in response to any message. Please note that even if you opt-out of marketing emails, we may still need to contact you via email with important transactional information about your account.
Certain Company partners may use unique cookies to collect Online Activity Data on our website or apps to advertise on third party websites Company products and services that may be of interest to you. Our partners are subject to their own privacy policies. To explore options for opting out of behavioral advertising, visit http://optout.aboutads.info/or click on the AdChoices icon in an ad and follow the instructions. You may also use the Network Advertising Initiative's (NAI) Opt-Out Tool or other tools provided by the publishing platform. Opting out relies on information in the unique cookies placed on your web browser by our partners, so if you delete cookies, use a different device, or change web browsers, you may need to opt out again. Additionally, we may partner with websites like Google and Yahoo to display ads to you based on search terms you use on those websites. Please review the privacy policies of those websites for instructions on how to limit these ads.
Please note that you may still receive general online advertising from Company even after you adjust your ad preferences with certain web search engines or opt out of online advertising through AdChoices or the NAI tool. Such advertising, however, will not be based on Online Activity Data or search term information.
In addition to these choices, we respect the rights you may have under any applicable privacy laws. If you have any questions about your choices or if you need any assistance with opting-out, please see the contact us section below.
You are not required to provide Personal Information to browse our websites. If you provide us with Personal Information to obtain a product or service from us, our Privacy Policy governs how we share Personal Information with our affiliates and third parties.
Some mobile devices come with a non-permanent advertising identifier or ID which gives companies the ability to serve targeted ads to a specific mobile device. In many cases, you can turn off mobile device ad tracking or you can reset the advertising identifier at any time within your mobile device privacy settings. You may also choose to turn off location tracking on your mobile device. By turning off ad tracking or location tracking on your mobile device, you may still see the same number of ads as before, but they may be less relevant because they will not be based on your interests.
Keeping your account information up to date is important. You may review or update certain account information by signing into your account online. If you cannot change the incorrect information online, or you prefer to request changes offline, please see the Customer Service section on our website, or call 1-866-449- 4514 or write to us using the contact information listed on your account statements, records, or other account materials.
Our websites may include links to third-party websites. These third parties are not subject to this Privacy Statement or to the Privacy Policy. Please review their privacy notices when visiting these websites.
At Continental Finance Company, we are committed to protecting your personal and financial information. If we collect identifying information from you, we will protect that information with security measures based on internationally recognized security standards, regulations, and industry-based best practices.
Children’s Data: Continental Finance Company’s websites and applications are not directed to children under 16 and we do not knowingly collect any Personal Information directly from children under 13. We have
websites that enable parents and teachers to help children learn about managing money and credit. We encourage parents and teachers to spend time online with children and to monitor their online activities.
We may also receive Personal Information about children from their parents or guardians or from merchants, such as when children are authorized users of payment cards. If you believe that Mastercard is processing information pertaining to a child inappropriately, please contact us using the information provided under the contact us section below so that we may investigate and restrict the data.
Changes to this Statement: From time to time, we may update this Statement to reflect new or different privacy practices. We will place a notice online when we make material changes to this the Statement. Additionally, if the changes will materially affect the way we use or disclose previously collected Personal Information, we will notify you about the change.
Contact Us. If you have questions or comments about our privacy practices or would like help exercising your rights in accordance with this Privacy Statement, please call 1-866-449-4514.
Under the California Consumer Privacy Act of 20118 (CCPA), "Personal Information" is information that identifies, relates to, or could reasonably be linked directly or indirectly with particular California resident. The CCPA, however, does not apply to certain information, such as information subject to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act ("GLBA"). If you are a California resident, you have the right to:
Request the Company disclose to you free of charge the following information covering the 12 months preceding your request:
the categories of Personal Information about you that we collected;
the categories of sources from which the Personal Information was collected;
the purpose for collecting Personal Information about you;
the categories of third parties to whom we disclosed Personal Information about you and the categories of Personal Information that was disclosed (if applicable) and the purpose for disclosing the Personal Information about you; and
the specific pieces of Personal Information we collected about you;
Request we delete Personal Information we collected from you, unless the CCPA recognizes an exception; and
Be free from unlawful discrimination for exercising your rights under the CCPA
The specific Personally Identifiable Information that we collect, use, and disclose relating to a California resident covered by the CCPA is subject to GLBA. Therefore, CCPA is not applicable with respect to information that we collect about California residents who apply for or obtain our financial products and services for personal, family, or household purposes.
On March 2, 2021, the Virginia governor signed the Consumer Data Protection Act (CDPA). The CDPA defines a consumer as a natural persons who is a Virginia resident acting only in an individual or household capacity. “Personal Data” is information linked or reasonably linked to an identified or identifiable natural person who is a Virginia resident. The CDPA, however, does not apply to certain information, such as information and data subject to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (“GLBA”). If you are a Virginia resident, you have the right to:
To confirm whether we are processing your personal data;
To access your personal data and obtain a copy of certain personal data in a portable format
To correct inaccurate personal data
Delete personal data provided or obtained about you, unless the CDPA recognizes an exception; and
Be free from unlawful discrimination for exercising your rights under CDPA
The specific personal data that we collect, use, and disclose, relating to a Virginia resident covered by the CDPA is subject to GLBA. Therefore, CDPA is not applicable with respect to information that we collect about Virginia residents who apply for or obtain our financial products and services for personal, family, or household
purposes.
On July 7, 2021, the Colorado governor signed SB 21-190 to create the Colorado Privacy Act. The CPA defines a consumer as a Colorado resident acting in an individual or household context. “Personal Data” is information that is linked or reasonably linkable to an identified or identifiable national person who is a Colorado resident. The CPA, however, does not apply to certain information, such as information subject to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (“GLBA”). If you are a Colorado resident, you have the right to:
To confirm whether we are processing your personal data and to access such personal data;
To correct inaccuracies in your personal data;
To request we delete personal data provided by or obtained about you, unless the CPA recognizes an exception;
To obtain a copy of your personal data in portable and readily usable format;
To appeal for refusal of any data subject rights; and
Be free from unlawful discrimination for exercising your rights under CPA
The specific personal data that we collect, use, and disclose, relating to a Colorado resident covered by the CPA is subject to GLBA. Therefore, CPA is not applicable with respect to information that we collect about Colorado residents who apply for or obtain our financial products and services for personal, family, or household purposes.
If you are a California resident, you may submit a request or contact us with questions or concerns by:
Calling 1-866-449-4514
Writing us at: Cardholder Services P.O. Box 3220
Buffalo, New York 14240
Submitting your request using the CCPA Request Form
Vermont Residents: Except as permitted by law, we will not share information we collect about you with nonaffiliated or affiliated partners.
Nevada Residents: You may call 866-449-4514 to be placed on our Do Not Call List. For more information, visit www.continentalfinance.net or mail your request to Cardholder Services, P.O. Box 98871, Buffalo, New York 14240. You may also contact the Bureau of Consumer Protection by phone at 702-486-3132, by email at aginfo@ag.nv.gov, or by mail to Bureau of Consumer Protection, Office of the Nevada Attorney General, 555
E. Washington St., Suite 3900, Las Vegas, NV 89101