This policy explains what personal data QR Flip collects, why, how long we keep it, who we share it with and the rights you have. It covers our website at qrflip.io, the QR Flip app, and the short links and hosted pages that QR codes made with QR Flip point to.
Who we are
QR Flip is a trading name of Branch Agency Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales (company number 14336157). Our registered office is Strawberry Fields Digital Hub, Euxton Lane, Chorley, England, PR7 1PS.
Branch Agency Ltd is the controller of the personal data of people who use the QR Flip website and hold QR Flip accounts.
For data about people who scan a QR code, the business or person who created that code is the controller and we act as their processor. See Data about people who scan QR codes below.
Contact us about privacy at privacy@qrflip.io, or by post to the registered office above, marked "Privacy".
The data we collect
When you create an account
- Name and email address, so we can create your account, sign you in and contact you about it.
- Password, which we never store in readable form. We keep only a salted PBKDF2 hash.
- Account status: whether your email address is verified, when your free trial started and ends, and when you signed up.
When you subscribe
Payments are handled by Stripe. You enter your card details on Stripe's checkout page, and we never see or store your full card number.
From Stripe we receive and keep:
- your Stripe customer ID and subscription ID;
- your subscription status;
- the date your current billing period ends.
Stripe keeps the invoices and payment records.
The QR codes you make
We store everything you put into a code, so we can show it to people who scan it and let you edit it:
- Content: website addresses, contact card details, Wi-Fi network names and passwords, phone numbers, email addresses, messages, links pages, and any PDFs or images you upload.
- Design: colours, shapes, frames and logos.
- Settings: names, schedules and scan limits. If you password-protect a code, we keep only a hash of that password.
This content can include personal data about you or other people. For example, a contact card holds the name and details of the person it describes. You are responsible for having the right to share it.
When you're signed in
When you sign in we create a session. A session records:
- your IP address;
- your browser's user agent (the browser and device type);
- when the session was created and when it expires.
We use this to keep you signed in securely and to spot suspicious sign-ins.
Data about people who scan QR codes
When someone scans a QR Flip QR code, their phone opens a short link on qrflip.io. We count the scan and then send them to the code's destination. For each scan we record:
- the date and time;
- the device type (mobile, tablet or desktop), operating system and browser, worked out from the user agent;
- the country, worked out by our hosting provider, Cloudflare, from the IP address;
- the referring page, if the browser sends one;
- where the code pointed at the time of the scan;
- a visitor hash: a one-way, keyed hash of the IP address and user agent. It lets us count unique visitors without storing the IP address. It can't be reversed to reveal the IP address.
We do not store scanners' IP addresses with scan records. We don't use cookies to track people who scan, and we don't build profiles of them or follow them across codes or websites. Visits from known bots and link previews are not recorded.
If a code is password-protected and someone enters the correct password, we set a short-lived cookie so they aren't asked again for 12 hours.
The owner of the code can see these scan statistics in their account and export them. For this data, the code's owner is the controller and Branch Agency Ltd is their processor. Questions about a particular code's data are best sent to the business that made it. If you contact us instead, we'll pass your request on to them.
Security and abuse prevention
To protect the service from abuse, IP addresses are used briefly for:
- rate limiting short links and forms;
- network-level protection.
They aren't stored with your account or with scan records.
Our hosting provider keeps request logs, which include IP addresses. These are kept for up to 7 days for troubleshooting and security.
Emails
We send service emails only:
- email verification;
- password resets;
- alerts when a code's destination stops working, and when it starts working again;
- account deletion confirmations;
- a note when someone you referred subscribes and you earn credit;
- important changes to the service or these terms.
We don't send marketing emails. If we ever want to, we'll ask for your consent first. Emails are sent through Resend, which keeps delivery logs for a limited period.
Referrals
If you open someone's QR Flip invite link, we set a cookie for 30 days that records whose link it was. If you then create an account, we note who referred you.
The person who referred you can see your first name and the initial of your last name, when you joined, and whether you've subscribed. They can't see your email address, your codes or anything else in your account. When you first pay, we add credit to their account and email them to say you've subscribed.
If you refer people, we keep a record of who signed up through your link and the credit you've earned. That credit is stored with Stripe as a balance on your billing account.
Drafts before you sign up
You can build a code before you have an account. If you choose to sign in to save it, we keep the unsaved code for up to 24 hours. It's linked to your browser by a cookie, so we can attach it to your account.
Cookies
We don't use analytics, advertising or tracking cookies. Our cookies are needed for the service to work, apart from qrflip_ref. That one is only set when you open someone's invite link, holds nothing but their invite code, and is only used to credit them if you sign up.
| Cookie | Purpose | Lasts |
|---|---|---|
better-auth.session_token |
Keeps you signed in | 30 days, or until you sign out |
toast |
Shows a one-off confirmation message after an action | 60 seconds |
qr_draft |
Links an unsaved QR code to your browser while you sign in | 24 hours |
qru_<code> |
Remembers that you entered the right password for a protected QR code | 12 hours |
qrflip_ref |
Remembers whose invite link you used, so they can be credited if you sign up | 30 days |
Fonts are served from our own servers, not from a third-party font service.
Why we use your data, and our legal basis
| What we do | Legal basis under UK GDPR |
|---|---|
| Create and run your account, host your codes, redirect scans, show your statistics | Performance of our contract with you |
| Take payments and manage your subscription | Performance of our contract with you |
| Keep billing and tax records | Legal obligation |
| Send service emails, such as broken-link alerts | Performance of our contract with you, and our legitimate interest in the service working well for you |
| Keep the service secure, prevent fraud and abuse, and check that destinations still work | Our legitimate interests in running a safe and reliable service |
| Record scan data for code owners | Processed on behalf of the code owner, who decides the legal basis |
| Run the referral programme: record who referred you, show your referrer your first name and subscription status, and add their credit | Our legitimate interest in rewarding people who recommend QR Flip, and performance of our contract with the person who referred you |
| Respond to your questions | Our legitimate interest in helping you, or performance of our contract |
Where we rely on legitimate interests, we've weighed them against your rights. You can object at any time (see Your rights).
Who we share data with
We don't sell personal data, and we don't share it for advertising.
We use these service providers (sub-processors) to run QR Flip. Each one processes data only on our instructions, under a written contract.
| Provider | What they do | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare, Inc. | Hosting, database, file storage, network security, request logs | Global network, including the UK, EU and USA |
| Stripe Payments UK Ltd and Stripe, Inc. | Payments, subscriptions, invoices | UK, EU and USA |
| Resend (Plus Five Five, Inc.) | Sending service emails | USA |
We may also share data:
- if the law requires it;
- to protect the rights, safety or property of our users, the public or Branch Agency Ltd;
- with a buyer or successor if the business is sold or reorganised. If that happens, this policy will continue to apply to your data.
When we check whether a code's destination still works, we request that web address from our servers. No personal data is sent with that request.
International transfers
Some of our providers process data outside the UK, including in the USA. When they do, we make sure the transfer is protected by:
- the UK International Data Transfer Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses; or
- the UK Extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, where the provider is certified under it.
How long we keep data
| Data | How long |
|---|---|
| Account details, codes, designs, uploaded files and scan records | Until you delete them or your account |
| Sessions | 30 days, or until you sign out |
| Database backups | Overwritten within 30 days, so deleted data leaves our backups within 30 days |
| Billing records (invoices, payment amounts) | 6 years after the end of the financial year they relate to, as UK tax law requires |
| Request logs | Up to 7 days |
| Unsaved drafts | 24 hours |
| Referral records | Until the referrer's account is deleted. If the referred person deletes their account, the link to it is removed, and only the referrer's record of the credit remains |
If your free trial ends or your subscription stops, your codes pause but your account and data stay, so you can pick up where you left off. If an account has had no sign-ins and no active subscription for 24 months, we may delete it. We'll email you at least 30 days before we do.
You can delete your account at any time from Settings. Deleting it:
- cancels any subscription straight away;
- permanently deletes your codes, their scan history and your uploaded files;
- stops your printed codes working.
Your rights
Under UK data protection law you have the right to:
- access the personal data we hold about you;
- correct data that's wrong or incomplete;
- erase your data. You can do most of this yourself by deleting codes or your account;
- restrict how we use your data;
- object to processing based on legitimate interests;
- data portability: receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format. You can export scan data as CSV from each code at any time.
To use any of these rights, email privacy@qrflip.io. We'll reply within one month. We may ask you to confirm your identity first. Using these rights is free.
If you're unhappy with how we've handled your data, please tell us first so we can try to put it right. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO): ico.org.uk, or call 0303 123 1113.
Security
We protect data with encryption in transit (HTTPS everywhere) and at rest. Passwords are hashed, and access to production systems is limited to the people who need it.
If a personal data breach puts your rights at risk, we'll tell you and the ICO as the law requires. For scan data, we'll tell the code owner without undue delay.
Children
QR Flip is for businesses and adults. You must be 18 or over to create an account. We don't knowingly collect personal data from children through accounts.
Changes to this policy
We'll update this policy when the way we handle data changes. The date at the top shows when it last changed. If a change materially affects you, we'll email account holders before it takes effect.