Privacy Policy

Effective date: April 20, 2026

cAPPtain ("we", "us", or "our") operates the cAPPtain mobile application and associated services (the "Service"). This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal information when you use our Service.

By using cAPPtain, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Account Information

When you register for a cAPPtain account, we collect your:

• Name — displayed to other trip members
• Email address — used for authentication, account recovery, and essential communications
• Password — stored in a securely hashed format (bcrypt); we never store or have access to your plain-text password

1.2 Trip Content

As you use cAPPtain to plan trips with your group, we collect and store the content you create, including but not limited to:

• Trip details (names, destinations, dates)
• Chat messages (text, voice, and photo messages in group, timed, and private channels)
• Itinerary stages and items
• Flight details and accommodation information
• Expense records and split-payment data
• Travel ideas, polls, Q&A questions and answers, and notes
• Packing lists and car pooling information
• Photos uploaded to trip albums
• Documents uploaded to the Document Vault (booking confirmations, travel documents)
• Travel date availability windows

1.3 Payment Information

cAPPtain uses Stripe as our payment processor for subscription management. When you subscribe:

• Your payment details (credit card number, expiration, CVC) are collected and processed directly by Stripe
• cAPPtain does not store, process, or have access to your full card details
• We store only a Stripe customer identifier to manage your subscription status
• Please refer to Stripe's Privacy Policy for details on how they handle your payment data

1.4 Push Notification Tokens

If you enable push notifications, we store your device's push notification token (e.g., an Expo Push Token) to deliver real-time alerts about trip activity such as new messages, payment reminders, and timed chat invitations. You can disable push notifications at any time through your device settings.

1.5 Location Data

cAPPtain may request access to your device's location services for features such as:

• Displaying trip destinations on maps
• Showing accommodation map pins
• Pinning travel ideas to a location

Location access is requested only when you use these specific features and is never collected in the background.

1.6 Automatically Collected Data

We may collect limited technical data to ensure the Service operates correctly, including device type, operating system version, and app version. We do not use third-party analytics or advertising trackers.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide, maintain, and improve the cAPPtain Service
• Authenticate your identity and manage your account
• Facilitate group trip planning features (chat, itineraries, expense splitting, etc.)
• Process subscription payments through Stripe
• Send push notifications about trip activity (when enabled)
• Respond to support requests and communicate important service updates
• Generate aggregated, anonymized usage statistics to improve the Service

3. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties. We share your information only in the following limited circumstances:

• With your trip members: Your name, commitment status, and trip-related content are visible to other members of trips you join. Private messages are visible only to the participants of that conversation.
• With Stripe: Payment information is shared directly with Stripe for subscription processing.
• Legal requirements: We may disclose information if required by law, legal process, or governmental request.
• Service protection: We may disclose information to protect the rights, property, or safety of cAPPtain, our users, or others.

4. Data Storage and Security

Your data is stored on secure servers. We implement industry-standard security measures, including:

• Encrypted passwords using bcrypt hashing
• JWT-based authentication with time-limited access tokens
• HTTPS encryption for all data in transit
• Role-based access controls within the application

While we strive to protect your data, no method of electronic storage or transmission is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

5. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service. Specifically:

• Account data: Retained until you request deletion of your account
• Trip content: Retained for the duration of the trip's existence. When a trip is deleted by its admin, all associated content (messages, photos, documents, expenses, etc.) is permanently removed
• Subscription data: Stripe customer identifiers and subscription status are retained for billing and tax compliance purposes
• Push tokens: Updated on each app session; old tokens are overwritten

6. Your Rights and Choices

You have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Access: You can view your account information and trip data within the app
• Correction: You can update your name and other profile information at any time
• Deletion: You can request deletion of your account and associated data by contacting us at connect@capptain.net
• Data portability: Trip Briefing PDFs and Money Summary PDFs allow you to export key trip data
• Opt-out of notifications: You can disable push notifications through your device settings
• Leave trips: You can leave any trip at any time, which removes your access to that trip's content

7. Children's Privacy

cAPPtain is not intended for use by individuals under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete that information promptly.

8. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your country of residence. By using cAPPtain, you consent to such transfers. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

9. Third-Party Services

cAPPtain integrates with the following third-party services:

• Stripe — payment processing (Stripe Privacy Policy)
• Open-Meteo — weather forecast data (no personal data shared)
• OpenStreetMap / Nominatim — geocoding for destination weather (no personal data shared)

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third-party services.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the updated policy within the app or on our website. The "Effective date" at the top of this page indicates when this policy was last revised.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us: