Cookie Policy

Effective date: 12/10/2023

Like most web based services, Plan Assist (“we”, “us” or “our”) may automatically receive and record information when you use this website. We may use a variety of methods, including clear GIFs (also known as “web beacons”) and “cookies”, to collect this information.

This Cookie Policy aims to inform you about our use of such cookies and clear GIFs, but does not govern the use of the Plan Assist website nor the processing of personal information on the Plan Assist website. The Cookie Policy should therefore be read in conjunction with our Privacy Policy and the Plan Assist Terms of Service.

Cookies and Other Automated Means of Passive Data Collection

In this Cookie Policy, cookies and other automated means (e.g. web beacons) will be jointly referred to as ‘Cookies’ throughout this policy, except as set forth in this section.

This section provides more information about some of those technologies and how they work.

Cookies

A cookie is a string of information that a website stores on a visitor’s computer, and that the visitor’s browser provides to the website each time the visitor returns. Most major websites use cookies. Because the browser provides this cookie information to the website at each visit, cookies serve as a sort of label that allows a website to “recognise” a browser when it returns to the website.

Cookies store information about your activities on a website or other platform. For example, cookies can store your session information for easy sign-in to a website or other platform you have previously visited. They enable us to make your use of the Plan Assist website more enjoyable and to improve the functionality of the service.

Clear GIFs

Clear GIFs (also known as web beacons) are used in combination with cookies to help website operators understand how visitors interact with their websites. A clear GIF is typically a transparent graphic image (usually 1 pixel x 1 pixel) that is placed on a website. The use of a clear GIF allows the website to measure the actions of the visitor opening the page that contains the clear GIF. It makes it easier to follow and record the activities of a recognised browser, such as the path of pages visited at a website.

Clear GIFs, which can be embedded in web pages, videos, or emails, can allow a web server to read certain types of information from your browser, check whether you have viewed a particular web page or email message, and determine, among other things, the time and date on which you viewed the Clear GIF, the IP address of your computer, and the URL of the web page from which the Clear GIF was viewed.

For more information about cookies and web beacons, please visit allaboutcookies.org.

What Information Do We Passively Collect?

The information that we may collect with these automated methods may include, for example, your IP address, cookie information, a unique device or user ID, browser type, system type, the content and pages that you access on the Plan Assist website, the frequency and duration of your visits to the Plan Assist website, and the “referring URL” (i.e., the page from which you navigated to the Plan Assist website). We may also use cookies on the Plan Assist website to store session validators on your hard drive.

If we directly combine any information gathered through passive means with personal information, we treat the combined information as personal information under our Privacy Policy. Otherwise, we use information collected by passive means in aggregated forms.

How Do We Use Passively Collected Data?

On the Plan Assist website, we may use passively-collected data to: (a) remember your information so that you will not have to re-enter it during your visit or the next time you visit the Plan Assist Website; (b) monitor your participation in various sections of the Plan Assist Website; (c) customise our service to you, including by providing you with recommendations; (c) monitor aggregate website usage metrics such as total number of visitors and pages viewed; and (d) administer, operate, and improve the Plan Assist website and our other services and systems, and to provide services and content that are tailored to you.

What Cookies Do We Use and Why? We use the following types of cookies:

Strictly necessary cookies – These cookies are used for the sole purpose of either (i) carrying out a transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network, or (ii) to allow the provider of an information society service to provide such service as explicitly requested by you, or (iii) to improve the security of the website.

Performance cookies – These cookies collect information about how visitors use a website, for instance which pages visitors go to most often, and if they get error messages from web pages. These cookies do not collect information that identifies a visitor. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. it is only used to improve how a website works.

Functionality cookies – These cookies allow the website to remember choices you make (such as your user name, language or region you are in) and provide enhanced, more personal features.

Social media cookies – These cookies are used based on social connect functionalities or when you make use of a social media add on button (e.g. clicking on the ‘Like’ icon on a webpage)

Advertising cookies – These cookies collect information about web browsing activity in order to inform advertising networks about website traffic in order to provide targeted advertisements based on previous browsing activity.

Whether a cookie is considered as a ‘first’ or ‘third party’ cookie refers to the domain placing the cookie. First-party cookies are those cookies set by a website that is being visited by the user at the time (e.g. cookies placed by ThePlanAssist.com). Third-party cookies are cookies that are set by a domain other than that of the website being visited by the user. If a user visits a website and another entity sets a cookie through that website this would be a third-party cookie.

Session cookies allow website operators to link your actions during a browser session. A browser session starts when you open the browser window and finishes when you close the browser window. Session cookies are created temporarily. Once you close the browser, all session cookies are deleted. Persistent cookies on the other hand are cookies which remain on your device for the period of time specified in the cookie. We use both session and persistent cookies.

How to manage cookies

As we explain in our Cookie Policy, cookies help you to get the most out of our websites. If you do disable our cookies you may find that certain sections of our website do not work. For example, you may have difficulties logging in or viewing articles.

How to disable behaviourally targeted advertising cookies

If you are concerned about behaviourally targeted advertising cookies (which serve you advertisements based on your use of Plan Assist and other websites), users based in the European Union can visit youronlinechoices.eu and users based in the US can visit aboutads.info/choices to opt out of these third party cookies.

The above websites are not Plan Assist sites and we are not responsible for their content.

How to enable and disable cookies using your browser

Most browsers allow you to manage cookie settings. These settings can usually be found in the ‘Settings’, ‘Options’ or ‘Preferences’ menu of your browser. The links below are provided to help you find the settings for some common browsers.

For all other browsers, please look for a “help” function in your browser or contact the browser provider.

Changes and Updates to This Cookie Policy

We may occasionally update this Cookie Policy. If we do, we will update the “effective date” at the top of the Cookie Policy. If we make an update to this Cookie Policy that is materially less restrictive in our use or disclosure of passively collected data prior to the update, we will provide you with prior notice of the pending update and seek your consent by posting notice on the Plan Assist.

We encourage you to periodically review this Cookie Policy to stay informed about our use of passively collected data. Your continued use of the Plan Assist website constitutes your agreement to this Cookie Policy and any updates.

Contacting Us

If you have questions about this Cookie Policy, you may contact us at [email protected]. You may also write to us at:

62 Colchester Road,
Great Totham,
Essex, CM9 8DG