ButterTrip Privacy Policy

ButterTrip LLC ("ButterTrip," "we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information when you use our website, mobile application, and related services (collectively, the "Service").

By using the Service, you consent to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with this policy, please do not use the Service.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide

Account Information

• Name and email address
• Password (stored securely hashed)
• Phone number (optional, for SMS notifications)
• Profile photo (optional)

Traveler Profile

• Travel preferences (seat preferences, meal preferences, home airport)
• Accessibility needs and accommodations
• Dietary restrictions and allergies
• Community identities (optional, with privacy controls)
• Social media handles (optional)
• Payment service usernames (Venmo, PayPal, Zelle, Cash App—for expense coordination)
• Preferred airlines and timezone

Dependent Information

• If you add dependents (such as children) to your profile, we collect only code names and age ranges that you choose to provide. We do not collect children's real names or exact birthdates.
• We encourage parents not to use real names as code names; we do not verify or require them.

Trip & Itinerary Data

• Trip names, dates, and locations
• Itinerary items and activities
• Ideas saved from external links
• Comments, votes, and reviews
• Shared expenses and settlement records

Email Content (Forwarded Confirmations)

• When you forward confirmation emails to us, we process the email content to extract travel booking information
• We retain forwarded emails in encrypted storage for up to 30 days after the latest date of travel on those emails for quality assurance and debugging purposes, after which they are automatically deleted
• We store the extracted travel booking details in your account for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service, and you can delete trips/itinerary items; if you delete your account, extracted travel details are automatically deleted from our systems

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

Usage Data

• Pages and features you access
• Actions you take within the Service
• Time and duration of your visits
• Referring URLs

Device Information

• Device type and operating system
• Browser type and version
• IP address
• Unique device identifiers

Location Data

• With your permission, we may collect precise location data to provide location-based features
• You can disable location services in your device settings at any time

1.3 Information from Third Parties

Social Sign-In

• If you sign in using Google, Apple, or other providers, we receive your name, email address, and profile photo from those services

Connected Services

• If you connect third-party services (such as calendar apps), we may receive data from those services as you authorize

Contacts

• If you choose to import contacts to find travel companions, we access only the information you authorize
• We use contact information only for in-app suggestions and never for marketing or selling to third parties

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

2.1 Provide and Improve the Service

• Create and manage your account
• Process and display your trip itineraries
• Extract travel information from forwarded emails and shared links
• Enable expense tracking and coordination among trip participants
• Suggest travel companions based on past trips
• Provide customer support
• Develop and improve our features

2.2 Communications

• Send trip-related notifications (itinerary updates, invitations, reminders)
• Send account and security notifications
• Send SMS messages to non-app users who opt in
• Send promotional communications (with opt-out option)

2.3 Safety and Compliance

• Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and security issues
• Comply with legal obligations
• Enforce our Terms of Service

2.4 Analytics and Research

• Understand how users interact with the Service
• Create anonymized and aggregated statistics
• Improve our products and develop new features

3. AI and Automated Processing

3.1 Email and Link Parsing

We use automated systems, including artificial intelligence provided by third-party services, to:

• Extract travel booking information from forwarded emails
• Parse metadata from shared links (titles, descriptions, images)
• Categorize and organize travel ideas

We currently use Google Gemini for AI processing and may use additional AI services including OpenAI and Anthropic for various tasks.

3.2 Personalization and Recommendations

We may use automated systems to:

• Suggest activities and destinations based on your preferences
• Recommend travel companions based on shared trip history
• Personalize your experience within the Service

We are transparent about our use of AI. If you have questions about how automated systems affect you, contact us at legal@buttertrip.com.

4. How We Share Your Information

4.1 With Other Users

• Trip Participants: We share relevant trip information with others on your trips
• Traveler Network: Based on your privacy settings, some profile information may be visible to past travel companions
• Public Sharing: If you share itineraries publicly, that content is visible to all users and search engines

4.2 With Service Providers

We share information with third-party providers who perform services on our behalf. Data categories shared vary by vendor and may include (i) account identifiers (name, email, phone, profile photo, user ID), (ii) trip & itinerary content (including comments/ideas/expenses), (iii) forwarded email content and extracted booking details, (iv) device/usage data (IP address, device identifiers, event metadata), and (v) location data (if you enable location features).

Analytics & Monitoring

• PostHog: Product analytics to understand how users interact with the Service. Data shared includes usage/interaction events, device/browser information, IP address, and internal identifiers.
• Sentry: Error monitoring to detect and fix technical issues. Data shared includes error logs and diagnostics, performance telemetry, device/browser information, and IP address.

AI Services

• Google (Gemini API): AI processing for extracting and organizing itinerary information. Data shared includes content you submit for AI processing, such as forwarded confirmation email content and extracted booking details.
• OpenAI/Anthropic: Alternative AI providers we may use for similar extraction and organization features. Data shared includes content you submit for AI processing.

Infrastructure

• Vercel: Cloud hosting, serverless computing, edge network distribution, and file/image storage. Data shared includes account/profile data, trip and itinerary content, extracted booking details, and service logs/telemetry.
• Prisma Accelerate: Database caching and edge services for performance and scalability. Data shared includes database records that may be cached or routed through Prisma's infrastructure.
• Google Maps API: Location-based services and mapping features. Data shared includes map and place search queries, device/IP information, and precise location data if enabled.

Communications (Sub-processors)

• Novu: Notification orchestration and message delivery management. Data shared includes recipient identifiers, notification routing metadata, and contact details.
• Postmark: Transactional email delivery. Data shared includes email address and the content of transactional emails.

Authentication

• NextAuth Providers: Authentication and social login. Data shared includes authentication tokens/identifiers required to complete login.

These providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only for the purposes we specify. Where required by GDPR, we maintain Data Processing Agreements with our sub-processors. Vendors may be added/replaced over time; we will update this Privacy Policy as appropriate.

4.3 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required by law, legal process, or government request, or if we believe disclosure is necessary to:

• Comply with applicable laws or legal obligations
• Protect our rights, property, or safety
• Prevent fraud or abuse
• Protect the rights, property, or safety of our users or others

4.4 Business Transfers

If ButterTrip is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any such change.

4.5 With Your Consent

We may share your information for other purposes with your explicit consent.

5. Your Privacy Controls

5.1 Profile Privacy Settings

You can control who sees different sections of your traveler profile:

• Public: Visible to anyone with your profile link
• Network: Visible only to users you've traveled with
• Private: Visible only to you

5.2 Access and Correction

You can access and update your personal information at any time through your account settings.

5.3 Data Export

You may request a copy of your personal data by contacting us at legal@buttertrip.com.

5.4 Account Deletion

You can delete your account through your account settings. Upon deletion:

• We retain your data for 30 days in case you change your mind (this grace period is for your benefit—to allow account recovery if deleted accidentally)
• After 30 days, your personal data is permanently deleted
• Anonymized and aggregated data (which cannot identify you) may be retained for analytics

5.5 Communication Preferences

• Email: Unsubscribe from marketing emails via the link in each email
• SMS: Reply STOP to opt out of text messages
• Push Notifications: Manage through your device settings

6. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information, including:

• Encryption of data in transit (HTTPS) and at rest
• Secure password hashing
• Access controls and authentication
• Regular security assessments

However, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as:

• Your account is active
• Necessary to provide you with the Service
• Required to comply with legal obligations
• Needed to resolve disputes and enforce our agreements

After account deletion or when data is no longer needed, we either delete your information or anonymize it so it can no longer identify you.

8. International Data Transfers

Data Storage & Processing Locations

Your information may be transferred to and processed in the United States and cached globally through our infrastructure providers' edge networks. These locations may have different data protection laws than your country of residence.

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, or other jurisdiction with data transfer restrictions, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place for any transfers of your personal data, including Standard Contractual Clauses where required.

9. Children's Privacy

ButterTrip is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13 years of age.

When adult users add dependent information to their profiles, we collect only code names and age ranges—not children's real names or exact birthdates. Parents and guardians are solely responsible for any dependent information they choose to share and PARENTS ARE PROHIBITED FROM SHARING OR FORWARDING CONFIRMATIONS CONTAINING REAL NAMES, PHOTOS, OR PRECISE LOCATION FOR CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE 13.

If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will promptly delete that information. If you believe we have collected information from a child, please contact us at legal@buttertrip.com.

10. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights:

For All Users

• Access: Request a copy of your personal data
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate data
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal data
• Object: Object to certain processing of your data
• Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on consent, withdraw that consent

For California Residents (CCPA/CPRA)

You have the right to:

• Know what personal information we collect, use, and disclose
• Request deletion of your personal information
• Opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information
• Non-discrimination for exercising your rights

We do not sell your personal information.

To exercise your rights, contact us at legal@buttertrip.com. We will verify your identity before processing requests.

For EEA/UK Residents (GDPR)

You have additional rights including:

• Data portability (receive your data in a structured format)
• Restriction of processing
• Lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority

We will appoint a Data Protection Officer if required by applicable law. For data protection inquiries, contact legal@buttertrip.com.

11. Cookies and Tracking

We use cookies and similar technologies to:

• Keep you logged in
• Remember your preferences
• Understand how you use the Service
• Improve our products

You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings. Note that disabling certain cookies may affect Service functionality.

12. Third-Party Links

The Service contains links to third-party websites (booking sites, activity providers, etc.). This Privacy Policy does not apply to those sites. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by:

• Posting the updated policy with a new effective date
• Sending you an email notification (for significant changes)

Your continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

14. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us at:

ButterTrip LLC
Email: legal@buttertrip.com

For data protection inquiries from EEA/UK residents, you may also contact your local data protection authority.

© 2026 ButterTrip LLC. All rights reserved.