Effective date: 1 September 2026 | Last reviewed: 1 September 2026
Barter Traders Limited trading as Bartercard UK ("the Trade Exchange", "we", "us" or "our") respects the privacy of its members, prospective members, member representatives, website users and other individuals whose personal information we process.
This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect and use it, the lawful bases on which we process it, how information is used in connection with membership of the Trade Exchange, what member information is made available to other members, how we use information for marketing, who we may share information with, how long we retain information, how we protect information, and the rights individuals have in relation to their personal information.
This policy applies to personal information collected through membership applications, our website and secure member area, the operation of the Trade Exchange, transactions conducted through the Trade Exchange, telephone, email and other communications, events and promotional activities, and our ongoing relationship with members and prospective members.
For the purposes of UK data protection legislation, the data controller is:
References in this policy to a "member" include, where appropriate, the individual member, sole trader, partnership, company, organisation and/or nominated representatives of that member.
We process personal information in accordance with applicable UK privacy and data protection legislation, including:
We are committed to processing personal information in accordance with the principles of UK data protection law. Personal information must be processed lawfully, fairly and transparently; collected for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes; adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary; accurate and kept up to date where necessary; retained for no longer than necessary; kept appropriately secure; and processed in a manner for which we can demonstrate appropriate accountability.
We may collect member or business name, trading name, company or organisation name, company registration number, business type, names of proprietors, partners, directors or nominated representatives where appropriate, membership number or account identifier, membership start date and status, username or login identifiers, and information supplied during the membership application and approval process.
We may collect a nominated contact person's name, job title, business and correspondence addresses, business and mobile telephone numbers, business email address, website address, social-media or other business contact information where supplied, and preferred methods of communication.
We may collect business category, profession, trade or industry, descriptions of goods or services offered, geographical trading area, opening hours, member profile information, advertisements or offers, trading preferences, information relevant to matching trading opportunities, and other information a member elects to publish through their profile.
We may collect transaction date, parties, transaction value, Trade Exchange or trade-credit value, transaction reference, account balance, purchases and sales, adjustments, credits or reversals, administration fees, invoices and statements, and information reasonably necessary to operate member trading accounts.
Where necessary to administer membership and collect fees, we may process billing information, bank account and direct debit information, payment history, outstanding balances, invoices, credit-control information and other information required to collect membership fees or sums due. Where payments are handled by an external provider, we may not receive or retain complete payment-card information.
We may retain records of membership enquiries, emails, telephone enquiries, complaints, support requests, transaction correspondence, account enquiries, disputes and feedback.
We may record whether marketing is permitted, marketing channels selected, objections, unsubscribe requests, dates and sources of preferences, communications sent, relevant business categories or sectors, and information needed to ensure preferences are respected.
When our website or member portal is used, we may collect IP address, browser and device information, operating system, login date and time, pages or areas accessed, security and authentication information, website usage, session information, and information collected through cookies or similar technologies.
We do not ordinarily require special-category personal information for Trade Exchange membership. This includes information concerning racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, genetic or biometric information used for identification, health, sex life or sexual orientation. Members should not provide such information unless specifically requested for a legitimate and lawful purpose.
We may obtain information directly from applicants and members, from a member's employees, officers or nominated representatives, through our website and member portal, through Trade Exchange transactions, correspondence and telephone communications, payment processors and service providers, publicly available business sources, Companies House or similar registers, credit-reference, fraud-prevention or verification services where appropriate and lawful, and referrals or introductions made by other members.
We use information to consider and process applications, verify details, communicate with prospective members, undertake appropriate checks and establish accounts. Relevant lawful bases may include steps taken at the applicant's request before entering into a contract, performance of a contract and our legitimate interests in operating a responsible Trade Exchange.
We use information to create and maintain accounts, collect monthly administration fees, issue statements and invoices, provide portal access and support, administer member benefits, enforce Membership Terms, communicate material changes and manage suspension, termination or closure of accounts.
We use member information to enable members to identify potential trading partners, display appropriate profiles, locate goods and services, facilitate enquiries and transactions, provide transaction histories and statements, and promote effective use of the Exchange.
We process information where necessary to maintain accounting records, comply with tax and statutory record-keeping obligations, respond to lawful requests from authorities and court orders, prevent or investigate unlawful activity and meet other legal or regulatory obligations.
We may process information to secure systems, authenticate access, detect unusual activity, protect accounts, investigate suspected fraud, prevent misuse, enforce our Membership Terms, and establish, exercise or defend legal claims.
We may analyse appropriate information to improve services, understand participation, improve the member experience, identify demand for categories of goods and services and develop new services. Where possible, aggregated or anonymised information may be used instead.
A fundamental feature of membership is that members can identify and contact other members for trading. Certain information about each member is therefore made available to other authorised members through the secure member area of our website.
Information may include business or trading name, business category, profession or trade, description of goods and services, nominated business contact person's name, business telephone number, business email address, business website, general location or trading area, opening hours, profile information, offers or advertisements and other business information provided for the member profile.
The directory is intended for members of the Trade Exchange and access is provided through individual member login credentials. Members are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of their credentials and notifying us promptly if they believe their account has been compromised.
Members are responsible for ensuring that information supplied for their profile is accurate, current and appropriate for disclosure to other members. Where practical, members may choose general business contact information rather than personal contact information.
Information available through the Trade Exchange is provided to facilitate legitimate Trade Exchange activity. Members must not:
A member may make genuine contact with another member concerning goods, services or a potential trading opportunity arising through participation in the Trade Exchange. Members remain independently responsible for ensuring that their own use of another member's information is lawful.
Certain communications are necessary to provide membership, including account statements, invoices, administration-fee notifications, transaction notifications, security alerts, password and account communications, notices concerning Membership Terms, material operational notices, requests for information needed to administer an account, and communications concerning disputes or outstanding balances.
These are not treated as optional marketing merely because they are sent electronically. A person who opts out of marketing may therefore continue to receive necessary service, contractual, account, transaction, security, legal or administrative communications.
We may use appropriate member and business information to promote the Trade Exchange, explain member benefits, encourage appropriate use of available trade-credit balances, highlight relevant goods and services, tell members about new services, communicate trading opportunities, promote events, provide newsletters, promote membership upgrades or related services, and communicate relevant offers or opportunities.
Information used may include member or business name, nominated contact name, business email and telephone, business address, membership status, business category, trade or profession, geographical trading area, trading interests, marketing preferences, and limited participation information where relevant and proportionate. We do not use full bank account, payment-card or equivalent financial-payment information for direct marketing.
Where the UK GDPR applies, we may rely on legitimate interests where appropriate, including developing and promoting the Trade Exchange, increasing trading opportunities, improving member engagement, informing existing members about relevant services and maintaining commercial relationships with members and former members. Where consent is required by law, we will seek appropriate consent.
Where permitted by applicable electronic communications legislation, we may send relevant business-to-business marketing to corporate members and their business contact addresses. We provide a means of opting out and will respect valid objections and unsubscribe requests.
Electronic marketing rules may apply differently where a member is an individual, sole trader or a type of partnership treated as an individual subscriber under PECR. Where required, we will only send unsolicited electronic marketing where appropriate consent has been obtained, or an applicable existing-customer or soft opt-in exemption applies.
Individuals may object to direct marketing at any time using an unsubscribe facility, account preferences, or the contact details in this policy. Opting out of marketing will not prevent necessary service or administrative communications.
Where a member or individual opts out of or objects to direct marketing, we may retain limited information on a suppression list, including name, business name, email address, telephone number, relevant marketing channel, date of objection or unsubscribe, and sufficient information to ensure that the preference is respected.
Suppression records may be retained indefinitely, or for as long as reasonably necessary to ensure that an individual's objection to marketing continues to be respected. Suppression information will not itself be used for direct marketing.
When membership ends, the member's active profile will normally be removed from the member directory promptly, access to the secure member area will be withdrawn or restricted as appropriate, and information will thereafter be retained only for the periods and purposes set out in this policy.
Where lawful and appropriate, we may retain limited former-member contact and membership information for direct marketing for up to 24 months after membership ends. We will stop sooner where the individual objects, required consent is withdrawn, continued marketing is no longer lawful or appropriate, or the information is no longer accurate or relevant.
At the end of the 24-month marketing period, personal information will be removed from active marketing systems unless another lawful purpose independently requires its retention. Suppression information may be retained beyond this period.
We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it is processed. Different categories are subject to different retention periods because our contractual, accounting, legal, marketing, security and operational requirements differ.
| Information | Normal retention period |
|---|---|
| Active membership records | For the duration of membership |
| Member directory information | For the duration of active membership and removed promptly when membership ends |
| Former-member marketing contact information | Up to 24 months after membership ends, subject to objection, consent requirements and continued lawful basis |
| Marketing suppression records | Indefinitely, or if reasonably necessary to ensure the marketing objection continues to be respected |
| Membership application and membership agreement | For the duration of membership and normally 6 years after membership ends |
| Transaction and Trade Exchange account records | Normally 6 years after the relevant transaction or accounting period, subject to applicable tax, accounting and legal requirements |
| Invoices, administration-fee records and accounting records | Normally 6 years, subject to applicable statutory accounting and tax requirements |
| Payment and billing records | Normally 6 years, except where payment information should be deleted sooner because it is no longer required |
| Routine membership enquiries and ordinary correspondence | Normally 3 years from the conclusion of the matter |
| Unsuccessful membership applications | Normally 12 months after the application is declined, withdrawn or otherwise concluded |
| Complaints and dispute records | Normally 6 years after resolution, or longer where litigation, enforcement action or another legal requirement remains active |
| Records relevant to legal claims | Normally retained for the applicable limitation period and, where necessary, until proceedings are finally concluded |
| Website, member-login and security logs | Normally 12 months, unless a longer period is reasonably required for security, fraud investigation, dispute resolution or legal purposes |
| Direct marketing records for active members | For the duration of active membership, subject to applicable PECR requirements and the right to object |
| Consent records and marketing-preference evidence | For as long as the relevant marketing activity continues and thereafter for so long as reasonably necessary to demonstrate compliance |
These are normal retention periods rather than absolute rules. We may retain particular information longer where reasonably necessary because of an ongoing dispute, suspected fraud, litigation or threatened litigation, an investigation, a regulatory requirement, a court order, taxation or accounting requirements, the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims, or another lawful reason. We may delete or anonymise information earlier where it is no longer reasonably required.
Information retained for accounting, taxation, contractual or legal purposes after membership ends will not automatically remain available for marketing or through the member directory. For example, retaining an invoice or transaction record for six years does not mean that the former member's profile remains visible or that their contact information may be used for marketing for the same period.
We periodically review retained personal information. When a retention period expires, information will normally be securely deleted, anonymised so that it no longer identifies an individual, or retained only where a further lawful reason justifies continued storage.
We may use appropriate third parties to assist us in operating the Trade Exchange, including website and hosting providers, IT support and cloud providers, payment processors, direct-debit and banking providers, accountants and auditors, legal advisers, communications and CRM providers, email distribution and data-security providers, debt-recovery providers and other contractors necessary to operate our services. Where a third-party acts as a processor on our behalf, we require appropriate contractual and security arrangements in accordance with applicable data protection law.
We may disclose information where reasonably necessary to comply with a legal obligation or court order, respond to lawful requests from regulators, tax authorities or law-enforcement bodies, investigate fraud or unlawful conduct, protect our legal rights, establish, exercise or defend legal claims, protect members or other persons, or as part of a proposed sale, merger, acquisition, restructuring or transfer of our business. We do not sell members' personal information as a commercial marketing list.
Some service providers may process personal information outside the United Kingdom. Where personal information is transferred internationally, we will ensure that the transfer complies with UK data protection law and that an appropriate transfer mechanism or safeguard is used where required. Further information may be obtained by contacting privacy@bartercard.co.uk.
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal information from unauthorised access, unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction, alteration and unauthorised disclosure. Measures may include authenticated access controls, password protection, role-based restrictions, encryption, backups, firewalls, monitoring, confidentiality obligations, staff training and incident-response procedures.
We maintain procedures for identifying, investigating and responding to suspected personal-data breaches. Where required by law, we will notify the Information Commissioner's Office and/or affected individuals within applicable legal timescales. Members should immediately notify us at privacy@bartercard.co.uk if they become aware of unauthorised access to their account, loss or disclosure of login credentials or suspected misuse of information obtained through the Trade Exchange.
Our website may use cookies and similar storage or access technologies for authentication, account security, remembering preferences, maintaining login sessions, website functionality and analytics. Where consent is required for non-essential cookies or similar technologies, we will obtain appropriate consent before using them. Further information is available in our Cookie Policy.
We do not currently make decisions about membership or members based solely on automated processing that produce legal or similarly significant effects on individuals. If this changes, we will update this Privacy Policy and provide the information required by applicable data protection legislation.
Members should take reasonable steps to ensure that information supplied to us remains accurate and current. Members should update information through their account where available or contact us at member.services@bartercard.co.uk if relevant information changes.
Subject to applicable conditions and exemptions, individuals may have rights including:
Where personal information is processed for direct marketing, an individual has the right to object to that processing.
Requests concerning personal information may be submitted to privacy@bartercard.co.uk or Unit 1, The Buffer Depot, Melbourne Place, Sowerby, Thirsk, England, YO7 1QY. We may request reasonable evidence of identity where necessary to protect information against unauthorised disclosure. We will respond within the time periods required by applicable legislation.
If you are concerned about the way we have collected, used, disclosed or otherwise processed your personal information, you may make a data protection complaint directly to us at privacy@bartercard.co.uk, or by post to Unit 1, The Buffer Depot, Melbourne Place, Sowerby, Thirsk, England, YO7 1QY. We will acknowledge and investigate complaints in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
You also have the right to complain to the UK's independent data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), at www.ico.org.uk. We would welcome the opportunity to address concerns directly before a complaint is made to the ICO, although contacting us first does not restrict an individual's right to approach the ICO.
Membership of the Trade Exchange is intended for businesses and persons legally capable of entering the relevant membership arrangements. Our membership services are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly seek to collect children's personal information for Trade Exchange membership.
We may amend this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, regulatory guidance, our services, processing activities, technology or business practices. The current version will be made available through our website or member portal. Where required, we will take reasonable steps to notify affected individuals of any material change to how we use existing personal information.
Applicants are provided with access to this Privacy Policy before completing their membership application and may be required to acknowledge that they have read and understood, or had the opportunity to read, it. Acknowledging this Privacy Policy does not, by itself, constitute consent to every use of personal information described in it. Where consent is required for a particular processing activity, including forms of direct electronic marketing where applicable, that consent will be requested separately where required by law. Membership may require certain information to be processed where necessary to consider the application, enter or perform the membership agreement, administer the account, facilitate participation in the Trade Exchange or comply with legal obligations.
BARTER TRADERS LIMITED trading as BARTERCARD UK
