Privacy Policy
Effective date:
GlobeSpend is a travel budget tracker. This policy explains what we collect when you use the app or visit globespend.com, what we do with it, who else may see it, and how you can control it.
We are Thomas Maibach, based in Germany. We are the data controller for the personal information described in this policy. Our full postal address is in section 14 and on our Imprint. Questions or requests about anything below: support@globespend.com.
Summary
- What we collect: what we receive depends on whether you create an account. Without an account, your trips and expenses stay on your device; we receive only an anonymous backend identifier and basic technical data when the app contacts our servers. With an account, your trips, expenses, photos, and similar content are stored on our backend so they can sync across your devices. We do not collect sensitive personal information.
- What we use it for: running the service, syncing your data across devices, managing subscriptions, fixing crashes, and improving features.
- Who we share it with: the service providers listed in §4. We have no advertising or marketing partners.
- How long we keep it: while your account is active. When you delete your account, your personal data is removed from our database within 30 days.
- Your rights: access, correction, deletion, portability, objection. To exercise these rights, contact us at support@globespend.com. Account deletion can also be performed directly inside the app.
1. What information we collect
Account information
Creating an account is optional. If you choose to create one, we receive your email address and a hashed password. If you use Sign in with Apple or Sign in with Google, we instead receive the identity token issued by that provider, which may include your display name and email address depending on what you agree to share. We do not request additional sensitive data.
Content you create in the app
Your trips, expenses, cash-on-hand records, ATM withdrawal records, currency-exchange entries, settlement payments, and any photos you attach are saved on your device. If you create an account, this content is also uploaded to our backend so it can synchronise across your devices. Cloud sync is a core feature for users with an account, not an optional add-on. If you do not want any of your content stored on our servers, you can use GlobeSpend without an account; in that case, none of this content leaves your device.
Content data includes, for example: your trips and their settings; expenses and how they were split; cash balances, ATM withdrawals and currency exchanges; settlements between trip members; the names of travel companions you add; your display name and profile photo; and the edit history we keep so changes merge correctly across devices.
If you have a paid subscription, you can also export your trips and expenses as CSV files to your device through the app. CSV exports are written only to your device and are not uploaded to our backend.
Payment data
If you subscribe to a paid feature, the payment itself is processed by Apple App Store or Google Play. We never see your card details. We do receive your subscription status and the purchase receipt through RevenueCat.
Information collected automatically
When your device contacts our backend we receive standard request data: device type, operating system, app version, locale, and IP address. The IP address is used for routing and rate-limiting. It is not used to derive your location for analytics: our analytics provider PostHog is configured with IP stripping enabled and GeoIP lookup disabled (see §4).
Location data
If you grant location permission, GlobeSpend uses your device GPS in three ways: to suggest the local currency when you start a trip, to tag new entries with where they happened, and to centre the map on your position.
When location permission is granted, new expenses, ATM withdrawals and currency exchanges are tagged automatically with your coordinates, a place name and a country. You can clear or change this before saving. Turning coordinates into a place name uses your device's built-in geocoder, which sends those coordinates to Apple or to Google depending on your platform.
If you have an account, the location saved on an entry is uploaded with that entry as part of cloud sync. If you use GlobeSpend without an account, it stays on your device.
You can revoke location permission at any time in your device's system settings. Automatic tagging and the currency suggestion stop working, but nothing else does: you can still set a location on any entry by hand, and you can choose your trip and base currencies yourself. Location is a convenience, not a requirement.
Anonymous backend identifier
Even before you create an account, the app generates an anonymous UUID on our servers so you can later sign up and keep your existing local data. It is not linked to your identity unless and until you create an account.
App permissions
GlobeSpend asks for the following device permissions, all of which you can grant or revoke at any time in your device's system settings:
- Location (optional): to tag entries with a place and country, to suggest the local currency for a new trip, and to centre the map on your position.
- Camera (optional): to attach a receipt photo to an expense, and to scan a QR invite code when joining a shared trip.
- Photo library (optional): to attach an existing photo to an expense.
We do not request access to your contacts, calendar, microphone, motion sensors, health data, or other device features.
Sensitive information
We do not process sensitive personal information as defined under Article 9 GDPR (racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs, trade-union membership, genetic or biometric data, health data, data concerning sex life or sexual orientation). Some jurisdictions treat precise location as a sensitive category; how we use location, and when it leaves your device, is described above.
Google API services
Our use of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.
2. How we use your information
We use the information described above to:
- Provide and operate the app and our backend services, including authentication, cloud sync, photo storage, the map, currency conversion, and exchange-rate updates.
- Pre-fill form fields and remember your preferences (for example, your home currency, recently-used categories, and the last country you tracked expenses in) so you do not have to set them each time.
- When you choose to share trips or expenses with other users, display your name or display name to those users so they can identify who shared the content with them.
- Respond to support requests and verify your identity when you contact us, including when you exercise the rights described in §10.
- Provide administrative support for your account when you ask for help, or when investigating issues affecting your data. Such administrative access is restricted to the operator of the service, logged, and limited to what is necessary to resolve the issue.
- Send you administrative messages such as one-time codes, password resets, subscription receipts, and notices about your account or this policy.
- Deliver paid features and manage subscriptions.
- Identify usage trends, debug crashes, and analyse how the app is used so we can improve features, fix bugs, and prevent regressions.
- Notify you about app version updates and compatibility issues affecting your device.
- Protect our services against abuse, fraud, and security incidents, and enforce our Terms of Service.
- Comply with legal obligations and respond to lawful requests by competent authorities.
We do not use your information for advertising, marketing, or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects. We do not make decisions based solely on automated processing that produce legal effects concerning you or similarly significantly affect you. We do not send marketing emails. Emails from us are limited to one-time verification codes, password resets, and notices about your account or this policy.
3. Legal bases we rely on
Under the GDPR, we rely on the following legal bases:
- Performance of a contract for everything required to operate the service you signed up for, including authentication, sync, photo storage, and subscription management.
- Legitimate interest for product analytics, crash reporting, and security and abuse prevention.
- Consent for permissions you grant directly to the app, such as device location.
- Legal obligations where we are required by law to retain or disclose information (for example, in response to a valid legal request).
- Vital interests in the rare circumstance where processing your information is necessary to protect someone's life.
You can withdraw consent or object to processing based on legitimate interest at any time. See §10 for how to do this.
4. When and with whom we share your information
We share information only with the service providers we need to operate GlobeSpend. We do not sell your data and we have no advertising or marketing partners. We and our service providers may operate on infrastructure located in countries other than your own. Where data is transferred outside the European Economic Area, the transfer is protected by Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission, the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework where the vendor is certified, or another transfer mechanism recognised under Chapter V of the GDPR.
| Service provider | Role |
|---|---|
| Supabase (Supabase Inc.) | Authentication, database, file storage, edge functions, one-time-code email delivery |
| Sign in with Apple (Apple Inc.) | Optional federated sign-in for iOS users |
| Sign in with Google (Google LLC) | Optional federated sign-in for Android users |
| Apple Maps (Apple Inc.) | Map rendering for the in-app map on iOS |
| Google Maps Platform (Google LLC) | Map rendering for the in-app map on Android |
| Cloudflare (Cloudflare, Inc.) | Edge proxy for all traffic between the app and our backend; receives IP address and request metadata |
| Expo (650 Industries, Inc.) | Delivery of over-the-air app updates; receives app version, update channel, platform and IP address when the app starts |
| Apple App Store (Apple Inc.) and Google Play (Google LLC) | Processing of subscription payments |
| PostHog (PostHog Inc., EU instance) | Product analytics and crash reporting. PostHog is configured with IP stripping enabled and GeoIP lookup disabled. |
| RevenueCat (RevenueCat Inc.) | Subscription management for paid users |
Vendor details
Supabase (Supabase Inc.). Supabase is our backend infrastructure provider. We use Supabase Auth for sign-in, Supabase Postgres for storing the trips, expenses, and other content of users with an account, Supabase Storage for receipt photos, Supabase Edge Functions for currency rate updates, and Supabase's transactional email service for sending one-time codes during sign-up and password reset. Supabase receives: your email address (if you sign up with email), your hashed password, your account content, and standard request metadata such as IP address. Supabase does not share your data with other parties. Their privacy policy is at supabase.com/privacy.
Apple (Apple Inc.). We interact with Apple on iOS in two ways. If you choose Sign in with Apple, Apple issues an identity token that verifies your identity, which we exchange for a GlobeSpend session; depending on your choice during sign-in, this token may include your display name and email address (Apple may relay a hidden alias email instead of your real address if you choose). Separately, the in-app map on iOS renders using Apple's MapKit framework, so Apple receives standard map tile requests including your approximate location at the moment of viewing. Apple's geocoding service also receives the coordinates of an entry when the app turns them into a place name. We do not send personal data to Apple beyond what each of these features requires. Apple's privacy policy is at apple.com/legal/privacy.
Google (Google LLC). We interact with Google on Android in two ways. If you choose Sign in with Google, Google issues an identity token that verifies your identity; we request only the OAuth scopes openid, email, and profile, and we do not access your Google contacts, calendar, drive, or other Google services. Separately, the in-app map on Android renders using the Google Maps Platform, so Google receives standard map tile requests including your approximate location at the moment of viewing. Google's geocoding service also receives the coordinates of an entry when the app turns them into a place name. We do not send personal data to Google beyond what each of these features requires. Use of the Google Maps Platform is also subject to Google's Terms of Service and the Google Maps/Google Earth Additional Terms of Service. Google's privacy policy is at policies.google.com/privacy.
PostHog (PostHog Inc., EU instance). PostHog provides product analytics and crash reporting. We send event names, coarse context (screen, category, currency, app version, operating system, device model) and crash reports, including native ones. Events are keyed to your GlobeSpend account identifier, a random UUID, so your analytics and your account are linked; it is not an advertising identifier and is never shared with advertisers. We do not send your expense content, email address or name, and amounts and counts are grouped into ranges first. PostHog is configured to strip your IP at ingest and disable GeoIP lookup. Analytics runs on our legitimate interest; email us to object and we will delete your analytics data. PostHog's privacy policy is at posthog.com/privacy.
RevenueCat (RevenueCat Inc.). RevenueCat manages subscriptions to paid features on our behalf. We send RevenueCat your account UUID mapped to a RevenueCat subscriber identifier, the purchase receipt issued by Apple App Store or Google Play, and resulting subscription status changes (active, expired, cancelled). We do not provide RevenueCat with any information beyond what is required to process and validate your subscription. RevenueCat does not share your data with other parties. The actual payment is processed by Apple App Store or Google Play; we never receive your payment card details. RevenueCat's privacy policy is at revenuecat.com/privacy.
Anonymised aggregate data
We may use anonymised, aggregated data derived from account holders' content to power or improve community features (such as cross-city price comparisons, spending benchmarks, or similar). Before such data is added to a community dataset, every identifier is removed and values are bucketed (for example, locations are rounded to a coarse grid) so that individual users cannot be singled out. Once anonymised, contributions cannot be linked back to your account. The legal basis for this processing is legitimate interest; you may opt out at any time by contacting us at support@globespend.com.
Sharing with other users
GlobeSpend lets you share a trip with specific people you choose, by sending them an invite link or showing them a QR code. Members of a shared trip can see and contribute to that trip's expenses. If you use this feature, the content you choose to share, together with your display name where shown, will be visible to the recipients you select. You can stop sharing at any time, but content that others have already viewed or saved may remain accessible to them. The legal basis is performance of contract for content you have chosen to share.
Business transfers
If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, financing, reorganisation, bankruptcy, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you before your personal information becomes subject to a different privacy policy.
5. Cookies and tracking
The globespend.com website is a static site and does not set cookies, web beacons, or behavioural tracking. Our mobile app uses native map and authentication SDKs that do not set browser cookies. We therefore do not display a cookie banner and do not maintain a separate cookie policy.
6. Social logins
If you sign in with Apple or Google, that provider sends us an identity token and, depending on what you choose to share, your display name and email address. We use this information only to create or sign you into your GlobeSpend account. We do not request additional permissions from these providers.
7. How long we keep your information
We keep account and content data while your account is active. When you delete a trip, expense, or photo inside the app, it is removed from our backend within 30 days. When you delete your account, all personal data is removed from our backend within 30 days. Analytics events are kept by our analytics provider in line with their standard retention and then deleted. Anonymised aggregate data is kept indefinitely because it is no longer personal data. We may retain certain information for a longer period where required to comply with legal obligations or to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.
8. How we keep your information safe
We use industry-standard technical and organisational security measures appropriate to the sensitivity of the data we hold. No system is perfectly secure; in the event of a personal data breach affecting you, we will notify the supervisory authority within 72 hours of becoming aware of it and notify affected users without undue delay where required.
9. Information from minors
GlobeSpend is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 13. If you are in the European Economic Area and under 16, a parent or guardian must agree to this policy on your behalf before you use GlobeSpend. If you believe we have collected such data, please contact us at support@globespend.com and we will delete it without undue delay.
10. Your privacy rights
You have the right to:
- Access the personal data we hold about you
- Correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete
- Delete your data
- Export your data in a portable format
- Object to processing based on legitimate interest, on grounds relating to your particular situation
- Restrict processing in specific situations
- Withdraw consent at any time where consent is the legal basis; your withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out based on your consent before its withdrawal
- Non-discrimination: we will not treat you differently or restrict your access to GlobeSpend because you exercised any of these rights
- Lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at support@globespend.com. We respond to verified requests within 30 days at no cost. We may ask you for additional information to confirm your identity before acting on a request. Self-service CSV export of your trips and expenses is available inside the app for users with a paid subscription; if you do not have a paid subscription, send your access or export request by email and we will fulfil it manually. Account deletion is available directly inside the app from the account screen; deleting your account removes your personal data from our backend within 30 days. Trips and expenses already saved on your device remain available locally so you can continue using the app without an account; to remove that local copy as well, uninstall the app.
11. Do-Not-Track signals
We do not track users across websites or apps, and therefore do not respond to Do-Not-Track signals.
12. United States residents
US state privacy laws (including those of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Texas, Virginia and others) may grant residents of those states additional rights, such as the right to know, access, correct, delete, opt out of sale or sharing, and non-discrimination. If you are a US resident and would like to exercise any of these rights, contact us at support@globespend.com. We do not sell your personal information.
13. Updates to this notice
When we make material changes to this notice (changes that affect how we handle your data, the rights available to you, or the parties with whom we share information), we will notify you in-app or via the email address on file in advance of the change taking effect. Minor edits such as wording clarifications or typo corrections may be made without notice; the effective date at the top will be updated whenever this notice is revised.
14. How to contact us
For questions or concerns about this notice, our security practices, or how we handle your data, contact us in writing:
- Email: support@globespend.com
- Post: Thomas Maibach, Paul-Gerhardt-Weg 1, 57462 Olpe
Our legal address and full corporate details are also published on our Imprint.
15. How to review, update or delete your data
To review, update, or delete the personal data we hold about you, email support@globespend.com with your request. We will verify your identity and respond within 30 days. Account deletion can also be requested directly inside the app from the account screen.