Privacy Policy
The Short Version
We collect only what you hand us. We do not use cookies, analytics, ad pixels, or any tracking technology. We have never sold personal information and we never will. You can ask us to delete everything we hold about you and we will.
The rest of this document says the same thing in more detail, because you deserve specifics rather than assurances.
1. Who We Are
The Card Optimization Method, LLC, which also does business under the registered fictitious name "TCOM" (referred to in this policy as "the Company," "we," "us," or "our"), is a Virginia limited liability company providing financial education and credit card strategy consulting. This policy covers thecardoptimizationmethod.com (the "Site") and our services.
2. What We Collect
We collect information in exactly three ways. There is no fourth.
2.1 Information You Submit Directly
Credit Card Starter Guide download form:
- Name
- Email address
Private Community waitlist form:
- Name
- Email address
- Your answer to an optional open question
Pre-consultation questionnaire:
- Name and email address
- Credit cards you currently hold
- Your monthly income
- Your average monthly spending and category breakdown
- Whether you use Amazon, whether you have Amazon Prime, and your monthly Amazon spending
- How often you travel
- Number of new accounts opened in the last 24 months
- Your current credit score
- Significant upcoming expenses you choose to tell us about
- Your credit card goals
- Anything else you choose to add
We never ask for, and you should never send us, your Social Security number, full account numbers, passwords, PINs, or online banking credentials. We do not need them to do our work. If you send them anyway, we will delete them and ask you not to do it again.
Method Sessions: a Method Session requires no questionnaire. Anything you choose to tell us during a session, such as the cards you hold, your credit score, your spending, or your goals, is information you submit directly. We take notes during sessions so we can follow up and make later sessions more useful. The same rule applies: please do not share your Social Security number, full account numbers, passwords, PINs, or online banking credentials.
2.2 Information Collected Through Booking and Payment
When you book a consultation, Calendly collects your name, email, and the details you enter, and shares them with us. When you purchase, Stripe collects and processes your payment information.
The Card Optimization Method, LLC never sees, receives, or stores your full card number, CVC, or bank credentials. We receive from Stripe only the transaction amount, date, status, last four digits, and the name and email associated with the purchase.
2.3 Server Logs
Our host, Netlify, automatically logs standard technical information such as IP address, browser type, and pages requested. This is ordinary infrastructure logging, common to essentially every website, and is governed by Netlify's own privacy policy. We do not use these logs to build a profile of you.
2.4 What We Do NOT Collect
We want to be specific, because "we may collect" language in most privacy policies hides a great deal.
- No cookies. Our Site sets none.
- No analytics. No Google Analytics, no Meta Pixel, no Plausible, no Fathom, no heatmaps, no session recording.
- No advertising or retargeting pixels. None, from anyone.
- No browser storage. No localStorage, no sessionStorage.
- No data purchased from third parties. We do not buy, rent, or append data about you from any source.
- No credit report access. We do not pull your credit report or score. Anything we know about your credit is what you typed into a form.
3. Why We Collect It
| What we collect | Why |
|---|---|
| Name and email | To send you what you asked for and to communicate about your engagement |
| Questionnaire responses | To prepare your Card Optimization Plan and come to your call prepared |
| Booking details | To schedule and hold your consultation or Method Session |
| Session notes | To prepare for and follow up on your Method Sessions |
| Payment records | To process your payment and meet tax and recordkeeping obligations |
| Server logs | To keep the Site running and secure |
We do not use your information for automated decision-making, profiling, or targeted advertising. We do not perform any processing that would produce a legal or similarly significant effect on you.
4. Who We Share It With
We share personal information only with the service providers below, only to the extent needed for them to perform their function, and only under their own privacy commitments.
| Provider | Role | Their Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Netlify, Inc. | Website hosting and form submission handling | netlify.com/privacy |
| Resend (Plus Five Five, Inc.) | Transactional and guide-delivery email | resend.com/legal/privacy-policy |
| Calendly LLC | Consultation and Method Session scheduling | calendly.com/legal/privacy-notice |
| Stripe, Inc. | Payment processing | stripe.com/privacy |
We may also disclose information where required by law, subpoena, court order, or valid legal process; to protect our rights, safety, or property; or in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, in which case we will notify you before your information becomes subject to a different privacy policy.
We have never sold personal information, and we do not share it for targeted advertising or cross-context behavioral advertising.
5. How Long We Keep It
| Category | Retention |
|---|---|
| Questionnaire responses, session notes, and engagement records | 24 months after our last substantive contact with you, then deleted |
| Email address on our guide or waitlist list | Until you unsubscribe or request deletion |
| Payment and transaction records | 7 years, as required for tax and business recordkeeping |
| Server logs | Per Netlify's standard retention schedule, which we do not control |
You may request deletion sooner. We will honor it except where we are legally required to retain a record, most commonly payment records for tax purposes.
6. How We Protect It
Data in transit to and from the Site is encrypted using TLS. Form submissions are transmitted to our email and hosting providers over encrypted connections. Access to your information is limited to the owner of The Card Optimization Method, LLC. Our providers maintain their own security programs, including PCI-DSS compliance at Stripe for payment data.
We will not claim our systems are impenetrable, because no one can honestly claim that. We ask you not to transmit sensitive identifiers to us (see Section 2.1), which is the single most effective protection available to you.
If a breach affecting your personal information occurs, we will notify you and any required authority in accordance with applicable Virginia and federal law.
7. Your Rights and Choices
A note on scope, since most policies obscure this: the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act applies to businesses meeting volume thresholds that The Card Optimization Method, LLC does not currently meet. The California Consumer Privacy Act likewise has revenue and volume thresholds we do not meet. We extend the following rights to every person regardless, because they cost us nothing and you should have them.
You may ask us to:
- Confirm whether we hold personal information about you
- Access a copy of what we hold
- Correct anything inaccurate
- Delete your personal information
- Port your data in a portable format
- Opt out of marketing email (also available via the unsubscribe link in any email)
How: email info@thecardoptimizationmethod.com with your request. We will verify your identity using the email address on file and respond within 45 days. If we need more time we will tell you why and take no more than an additional 45 days.
Appeal. If we decline your request, you may appeal by replying to our response. We will respond to an appeal within 60 days. If we deny your appeal, you may contact the Virginia Attorney General at oag.state.va.us.
We will never charge you for these requests or treat you differently for making one.
8. Email Communications
If you download the Starter Guide, join the waitlist, or become a client, we may email you about The Card Optimization Method, LLC services.
Every commercial email includes an unsubscribe mechanism, is sent from a monitored address, uses an accurate subject line and header, and includes our physical mailing address, as required by the CAN-SPAM Act. You may unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link or by emailing us. We honor unsubscribe requests promptly.
Transactional emails about an active engagement (your Plan, scheduling, receipts) are not marketing and will continue while your engagement is active.
9. Children
The Site and our services are not directed to anyone under 18, and we do not knowingly collect information from minors. If you believe a minor has provided us information, email us and we will delete it.
10. Do Not Track
Because we do not track users across sites or over time, there is nothing for a Do Not Track signal or Global Privacy Control signal to opt you out of. We honor them by design rather than by policy.
11. Where Your Information Is Processed
The Card Optimization Method, LLC operates in the United States and our providers process information in the United States. If you access the Site from outside the U.S., you understand your information will be processed here, under U.S. law. Our services are offered only to U.S. residents.
12. Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy. The "Last Updated" date will change. If we make a material change to how we handle information we already hold, we will notify affected clients by email before the change takes effect.
13. Contact Us
Questions, requests, or concerns about privacy:
The Card Optimization Method, LLC
4450 Rivanna River Way #1392
Fairfax, VA 22030
Email: info@thecardoptimizationmethod.com
We read every message.