Privacy Policy — RateRankings
Last updated: October 26, 2026
Who we are
RateRankings (raterankings.com) is operated by Ian Merrill, a sole proprietor doing business as RateRankings, in Massachusetts. In this policy, "we," "us," and "RateRankings" mean that business. Questions about this policy: contact@raterankings.com.
What we collect — and what we don't
We collect as little as we can:
- Email address and alert preferences, if you sign up for rate alerts. That means your email, the loan or card categories you chose, and the alert settings you picked.
- Consent records for each signup: the date and time, the signup wording you agreed to, and technical details (such as IP address) kept as proof of consent.
- Basic usage and analytics data, such as pages visited, approximate location (city/state level), device and browser type, and how you arrived at the site. This is collected through cookies and similar tools, described below.
We do not collect Social Security numbers, bank or card account numbers, credit reports or credit scores, loan applications, or income documents. RateRankings is an information service — we never take loan or credit card applications, so we never need that kind of information. If a page ever asks you for it, you are no longer on RateRankings; you have clicked through to a lender or card issuer's own site, and their privacy policy applies.
How we use your information
- To send the rate alerts you asked for, including alerts that contain current advertised rates.
- To operate, secure, and improve the site, and to understand which categories readers actually use.
- To comply with the law and to keep records of published rates and consent, as our compliance practices require.
Your email is never sold
We do not sell, rent, or trade your email address or any other personal information — to anyone, for any price. Signing up for rate alerts is consent to receive emails from RateRankings. It is not consent to have your information handed to lenders, brokers, or data brokers, and we never treat it that way.
Email we send may include clearly labeled sponsored placements or partner offers, sent by us, in our own emails. The sponsor pays for the placement; your information does not change hands. Sponsored content is labeled as advertising wherever it appears.
Sharing, in plain terms
The only sharing that happens:
- Service providers who run parts of the site for us (hosting, email delivery, analytics) may process data on our behalf, under contract, only to provide those services.
- Outbound links: when you click a link to a lender, card issuer, or advertiser, you leave our site. That site's privacy policy — not ours — governs what happens there. Some outbound links are paid (affiliate) links; see our Advertiser Disclosure for how that works. The fact that you clicked may be reported back to us by the advertiser for payment purposes; we do not send them your email address or alert preferences.
- Legal requirements: we may disclose information if the law genuinely requires it.
Cookies
We use a small number of cookies and similar technologies: essential cookies that make the site work, and analytics cookies that help us count visits and see which pages are useful. We do not use cookies to build a financial profile of you, and we do not pass your financial interests or alert preferences to advertising audiences. You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings; the site will still work, though some preferences may not be remembered.
Your choices and rights
- Unsubscribe anytime. Every alert email has a working unsubscribe link. We honor opt-outs promptly — and in all events within the time the law allows.
- Access, correction, and deletion. Email us at contact@raterankings.com and ask what personal information we hold about you, ask us to correct it, or ask us to delete it. We will respond within 45 days.
- Rights for everyone, not just Californians. California law (the CCPA/CPRA) gives California residents specific rights — to know what personal information is collected, to delete it, to correct it, and to opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of personal information. We extend the same treatment to every user, wherever you live. For the record: we do not sell or share personal information as those terms are defined in California law, so there is no sale to opt out of — but the opt-out and deletion rights above are yours regardless.
- No discrimination. We will not treat you differently for exercising any of these rights. (There is nothing to treat you differently with — alerts are free either way.)
Data security and retention
We keep only email addresses, alert preferences, and consent records, and we protect business accounts with strong passwords and two-factor authentication. We keep consent records and published-rate archives for as long as our recordkeeping practices require (published advertising material is retained for at least 24 months). If you ask us to delete your information, we remove your email and preferences; we may retain a minimal consent record to prove the signup and opt-out were handled correctly.
Children
RateRankings is a consumer-finance information site for adults. It is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect their information.
Changes to this policy
If we change how we handle personal information, we will update this page and change the "Last updated" date before the change takes effect. We will never quietly start selling personal information — that is a commitment, not a policy detail.
Contact
RateRankings
[Business mailing address — USPS PO Box, to be added before launch]
Email: contact@raterankings.com