Understanding how and why we use cookies
We use cookies on our website (the 'Site') to distinguish you from other users. This helps us to improve your experience when using our Site and to ensure the Site performs as you expect it to. This Cookie Notice should be read together with the Website User Agreement governing your use of the Site. For ease of reference, the same definitions used in the Website User Agreement are adopted in this Cookie Notice.
This Cookie Notice provides you with clear and comprehensive information about the cookies we use and the purposes for using them.
By continuing to browse the Site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.
Where we use cookies to collect personal information, this will be carried out in accordance with our Privacy Notice. Please read this notice carefully to understand our practices regarding your personal information and how we will treat it.
What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files that are sent to and stored on your computer, smartphone or other device for accessing the internet, whenever you visit a website. Cookies are useful because they allow a website to recognise a user's device. We use the following cookies on this Site:
- 'Strictly necessary' cookies: These cookies are essential in order to enable you to move around the Site and use its features, such as accessing secure areas of the website.
- 'Performance Cookies': These cookies collect information about how visitors use the Site, for instance which pages visitors go to most often, and if they get error messages from web pages. These cookies don't collect information that identifies a visitor. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. It is only used to improve how our Site works.
- 'Functionality Cookies': These cookies allow the Site to remember choices you make (such as your user name, language or the region you are in) and provide enhanced, more personal features.
- 'Targeting cookies or advertising cookies': These cookies are used to deliver adverts more relevant to you and your interests They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as help measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaigns.
Local Sites may use cookies for a variety of other reasons including to determine preferences, let users navigate between pages efficiently, verify the user and carry out other essential security checks. Local Site cookie policies will explain how they use cookies. Some of the functions that cookies perform can also be achieved using similar technologies. This notice refers to 'cookies' throughout, however it also covers these alternate mechanisms.
For a detailed description of the cookies that we use on this Site, please see “A list of cookies that we use” below.
More information about cookies can be found on www.allaboutcookies.org.
How cookies make our websites safer and easier to use Cookies are used for a variety of reasons, such as to improve the functionality and performance of this Site and to allow us to tailor the content of the Site to suit your interests. When we include links to third party websites, please bear in mind they will have their own privacy and cookie policies that will govern the use of any information you submit. We recommend you read their policies as we are not responsible or liable for any third party's privacy practices.
How you can manage your cookies
The browsers of most computers, smartphones and other web-enabled devices are typically set up to accept cookies.
You do not have to accept cookies, however, please remember that cookies are often used to enable and improve certain functions on our Site. If you choose to switch certain cookies off, it is likely to affect how our Site works and you may not be able to access all or parts of the Site. For more information about how to disable cookies, visit www.allaboutcookies.org.
How long the cookies will remain on your computer
The single session cookie is a temporary cookie which remains in the cookie file of your browser until you close the browser.
The other cookies will remain in the cookie file of your browser after the closing of the browser, and will become active again when you reopen the Site. These cookies have different expiration dates. Following expiry of a cookie, a new version of that cookie will be downloaded when you next visit the Website, unless you have withdrawn your consent in the meantime.
How we work with trusted third parties
Third parties are trusted suppliers to HSBC. They include our insurance policy providers, partners who provide important functionality to our website, such as our live chat service, and partners who help us improve our website, such as Heap Analytics, Heap, who provide statistics about which pages are visited most frequently.
We only use cookies from third parties in order to provide our customers with HSBC products and services. The only time cookies would enable us to share personal information such as your name, address, telephone or email is when you have given us express consent to pass it on to a trusted third party - for example, if you were applying for an insurance product from one of our third party insurance providers.
You will only ever be shown HSBC-branded advertisements on our website - never those from other companies. Of course, you may see HSBC-branded advertisements when browsing other companies' websites too. Some of these will be general campaign-related adverts but others will be tailored to your likely interests based upon previous web browsing activity - these can be easily identified as they feature a small blue AdChoices icon in the corner of the advert.
More about your privacy
To find out more about how HSBC protects your privacy when using our website, see our Website User Agreement and Privacy Notice.
A list of cookies that we use
Strictly necessary cookies
Please see below for a detailed list of the 'Strictly necessary' cookies used on this Site.