PRIVACY STATEMENT

Privacy Statement

In each of these businesses, we have relationships with customers to whom we provide financial products and services. As a part of these customer relationships, we collect information necessary to enrol customers in products and services, to provide the services they have selected, to administer their accounts, and to offer them related or additional American Express products and services.

Because we strongly advocate the protection of customer information, we believe that the adoption and implementation of the following American Express Privacy Policy Statement makes good business sense and will serve the interests of our customers in effective privacy protection.

Privacy Policy Statement (PDF: 61 KB / 2 pages)

This American Express Privacy Policy Statement applies only to our Australian customers and to visitors to our website.

Our related companies throughout the world apply, as a minimum, the American Express Customer Privacy Principles. These Customer Privacy Principles guide our conduct in the collection, use, release, and security of customer information. These Principles define our commitment to protect the privacy of our customers. In those jurisdictions that call for additional information practices, our policies and practices will meet the requirements of applicable law. Protecting your privacy is important to us. We hope the following information will help you understand how American Express collects, uses and safeguards your personal information on our website.

Online Privacy Statement for the American Express Network (amexnetwork.com.au)

Updated: February 1, 2010

This Online Privacy Statement describes the information practices of this website, www.amexnetwork.com.au (“our site” or “Website”) and all services and web pages available under www.amexnetwork.com.au or under other websites that display, link to, or incorporate by reference this Online Privacy Statement. This Website is a place for consumers to find out about unique experiences, special insights, promotions, and benefits available for Cardmembers holding any American Express-branded Card. The Website is administered and maintained by Global Network Marketing and Information unit (“the American Express Network”, “we”, “our” or “us”) of American Express Australia Limited, which is the unit responsible for operating this website.

The objective of this Online Privacy Statement is to disclose and explain what "Personally Identifiable Information" and other information the American Express Network collects, uses, and shares and to explain the privacy choices that you can make. We encourage you to read this Online Privacy Statement, as well as those of all websites that you visit.

This Online Privacy Statement applies solely to: (1) information collected by the American Express Network or our "Vendors" via: (a) this Website, or (b) email, as described in this Online Privacy Statement; and (2) Australian visitors to this Website.

This Website may provide links to third-party websites. This Online Privacy Statement does not apply to any information you may provide while on such sites. We encourage you to read the privacy policies on those sites before providing any of your personal information on such sites.

Tracking Activity on Our Web Site

When you browse amexnetwork.com.au and have not registered for any online service from the American Express Network, you browse anonymously. Personally identifiable information - such as your name, address, phone number, and email address - is not collected as you browse.

However, we track how our site is used by both anonymous visitors and our registered customers. One way we track is by using a small string of text that is sent to your browser known as a "cookie." Cookies collect information that includes the server your computer is logged onto, your browser type (for example, Netscape or Internet Explorer), and whether you responded to an American Express Network banner ad from outside our site or through an email link. A cookie cannot retrieve any other data from your hard drive, pass on computer viruses, or capture your email address or any other personally identifiable information. Please note that accepting cookies is required if you want to view personal or confidential information online, because they are essential for site administration and security.

Another way we track site activity is by using transparent electronic images called "clear GIFs," "Web bugs," or "Web beacons" on amexnetwork.com.au web pages. These images count the number of users who visit that page from specific banner ads outside amexnetwork.com.au or through email links. A similar image, sometimes called a "Spotlight Tag," is used on amexnetwork.com.au web pages where transactions take place. The Tag collects numeric information, such as the dollar amount of an online purchase, to help us understand usage of the site. We do not use any of these electronic images to collect personally identifiable information.

Information we collect when you register

When you visit this Website, the American Express Network or our Vendors collect information, including personally identifiable information, that you provide, such as during your registration as a user or your purchase of a product or service. When browsing this Website, you may choose not to provide us with any personally identifiable information, such as by not registering. When you become a registered user on our site, you provide us with personal information, which can include some or all of the following information: name, email address, mailing address, contact information, Card account number and Security Code. Becoming a registered user enables you to review confidential account information for the service(s) that you are enrolled in, and perform other confidential transactions.

Information We Collect After You Have Registered

American Express collects the following information after you have registered with us for an online product or service:

• Your usage of amexnetwork.com.au.

• Your usage of the American Express Network online service in which you are enrolled.

• 
  

  How We Use Your Personal Information
  
  Once you've become a registered amexnetwork.com.au user, we use this information to deliver products and services you enrol in, and to process transactions you conduct on our website. We also use it, together with information we have about you as an American Express customer, publicly available information, and preferences you indicate, to customise your online experience and to provide you with more relevant online and offline offers and updates.

  
  

  The American Express Network does not sell or share personally identifiable information collected via this Website or via the emails covered by this Online Privacy Statement with third parties so that they can independently market their own products or services to you. To provide products and services to you, we may share your information with carefully selected Vendors with whom we work. This includes companies that manage accounts; offer affinity, frequent-user, and reward programs; perform marketing services and other business operations for us; and whose products or services are provided as a benefit of your relationship with us. All companies that act on our behalf are required to safeguard personally identifiable information. We may also use or disclose your information, including personally identifiable information, to comply with the law or in response to a subpoena, court order, government request, or other legal process, or as otherwise permitted by law; to perform charge verifications; to report or collect debts owed; to reduce fraud or criminal activity; to protect our legal rights and the legal rights of American Express Company, its subsidiaries, and affiliates ("American Express"), our customers, this Website, or the users of this Website; to allow a purchaser of an American Express division, or American Express as a whole, to continue using your information to serve you; or as otherwise permitted by this Online Privacy Statement.

  
  

  Transfer of Information to Other Countries
  
  Some of the uses and disclosures mentioned in this Online Privacy Statement may involve the transfer of your personally identifiable information to various countries around the world. By submitting your personally identifiable information to us via this Website or in response to our emails, you consent that subject to the Privacy Act, the American Express Network or their agents may transfer or disclose personal information confidentially to American Express, its related companies or external organisations that provide services in relation to the uses and disclosures mentioned in this Online Privacy Statement. This includes transferring personal information to the USA or other countries for data processing and servicing.

  
  

  How We Use Your Email Address
  
  The American Express Network may use your email address to send you the following types of email messages:
  

• Updates and valuable offers. We may send you email updates regarding your Website registration account, offers for American Express Network products and services, requests for enrolment, as well as valuable offers from our Business Partners.

• Regularly scheduled emails related to the American Express Network products or services you are enrolled in or email newsletters that you have elected to receive.

• Service notifications related to your account(s). We may send you email service notifications that are related to any Account(s), products or services in which you enrolled with us. These include emails that answer your questions about a product or service, facilitate or confirm a sale, or fulfil a legal or regulatory disclosure requirement.

• Optional messages. You may choose to receive other types of email messages from us, including additional alerts and notifications beyond those noted above.

• 
  

  The American Express Network respects the choices that you make regarding your privacy. You may decline to receive email offers from the American Express Network at any time. Please note that your choice is applicable only to those email communications sent by the American Express Network and not to email communications that may be sent to you by the various Licensed Network Partners of American Express Limited or emails about products and services provided by American Express Australia Limited and American Express International Inc. Click here.

  
  

  We do not share your email address with other companies for them to market their products or services to you. When we hire vendors to deliver emails to you on our behalf, they cannot use your email address for any other purpose.

  
  

  To make our email offers more relevant to you, we may use information you provided in your initial transaction with us, in surveys, from information we have about you as an American Express customer - such as purchasing preferences or lifestyle - and information available from external sources such as census bureau data.

  
  

  When we send email to you, we may be able to identify information about your email address, such as whether you can view graphic-rich HTML email. If your email address is HTML-enabled, we may choose to send you graphic-rich HTML email messages.

  
  

  These email messages may contain "clear GIFs" or "Web beacons" to measure the offer's effectiveness so we know how to serve you better. We do not collect personally identifiable information through "clear GIFs" or "Web beacons."

  
  

  You may also receive email offers from another company for American Express Network products and services if you have actively requested that the company send you offers from its partners and/or advertisers. The American Express Network does not provide these companies with personal information about you. To decline offers from other companies who may send offers on our behalf, follow the instructions provided by that company.

  
  

  Setting Your Cookie Preferences
  
  You can adjust your computer browser settings so that you are informed when a cookie is being placed in your browser. You can also set your browser to decline or accept all cookies. However, you must accept cookies if you need to access American Express Network site pages that enable you to review or use your confidential account information. These cookies are essential for site administration and security.

  
  

  Ads That Link to Our Web Site
  
  The American Express Network hires other companies to place our banner ads on other websites and to perform tracking and reporting activities ("third-party advertisement servers"). They do not collect personally identifiable information in doing this work for us, and we do not give any personally identifiable information to them.
  Third-party advertisement servers are subject to their own privacy policies.

  
  

  Children under 18
  
  We do not knowingly solicit data online from or market online to children under the age of 18.

  
  

  How to Opt Out of Email Marketing Offers
  
  To opt out of receiving e-mail offers or newsletters, Click here. All e-mail offers and e-mail newsletters sent to you by the American Express Network provide instructions on how to opt out of receiving future offers or newsletters. These instructions are located at the bottom of the e-mail message. Please note that your choice is applicable only to those email communications sent by the American Express Network and not to email communications that may be sent to you by the various Licensed Network Partners of American Express Limited or emails about products and services provided by American Express Australia Limited and American Express International Inc. You may receive separate newsletters pertaining to different American Express products and services. In that case, you must reply to and decline the newsletters individually. If you opt out, we will still send you email with service updates as well as other important information related to the American Express online products or services for which you have signed up.

  
  

  If you are enrolled in one or more American Express products, please call the Customer Service number on your account statement, or refer to the contact below, to learn more about your opt-out choices.

• American Express consumer Cardmembers: 1300 13 2639.

• 
  

  Site Security Features SSL Technology and how you benefit from it
  
  The American Express Network realizes how important security is to you, so we've taken a number of steps to enhance the protection of personal or confidential information sent to or from the American Express Network over the Internet. This includes Card and other account information. First, we require that a "secure session" be established, using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) Technology. This is done any time you supply or access personal or confidential information in one of our secure online areas.

  
  

  SSL technology creates a private conversation that only your computer and the American Express Network systems can understand. The SSL technology encodes information as it is being sent over the Internet between your computer and the American Express Network systems, helping to ensure that the transmitted information remains confidential

  
  

  The use of SSL requires two components: an SSL-compatible browser and a Web server to perform the "key-exchange" that establishes a secure connection to the American Express Network Web server systems.

  
  

  The technological requirements needed to benefit from SSL Technology
  
  A Compliant Browser
  You will need a browser with SSL capabilities. (Note that some older versions of browsers will not support SSL sessions). If you don't already have a browser with SSL capabilities, you can download an SSL browser from any of the links below.
  

• Firefox
• Internet Explorer

• In order to securely access your personal or confidential information via the Internet, we recommend you use the latest browser versions available.

  
  

  A Compliant Internet Service Provider
  
  Nearly all Internet Service Providers (ISPs) automatically enable the SSL session described above. If you use your company's internal connection to access the Internet and you find you cannot access the American Express Network secure pages with an SSL browser described above, your company may be blocking access via a "firewall." Please speak to your firm's Internet access systems administrator for further details on your network's Internet access.

  
  

  Enabled Cookies
  
  You also must have enabled cookies on your browser in order to access confidential information. If you have chosen to disable cookies on your browser, you will not be able to access confidential information.

  
  

  User ID and Password
  
  Many areas of the site require the use of a User ID and Password as an additional security measure that helps protect your confidential information. This allows the American Express Network to verify who you are, thereby allowing you access to your account information, and preventing unauthorized access.

  
  

  When you have finished using a secure area of the American Express Network Online Services, make sure you always click on the red "Exit Secure Area" or "Log Out" link which appears on the left-hand side of every secure page. When you click on it, you will be given the option to end your secure session. No further secure transactions can be conducted without re-entering your User ID and Password.

  
  

  You should be aware that browser software often "caches" a page as you look at it, meaning that some pages are saved in your computer's temporary memory. Therefore, you may find that clicking on your "Back" button shows you a saved version of a previously viewed page. Caching in no way affects the security of your confidential User ID or Password. If you use a computer in a public place to access your account information, simply quit/exit the browser software before leaving to minimize the possibility of anyone else viewing your confidential information.

  
  

  Selected Business Partners
  
  In order to bring you the many online products and services offered by the American Express Network, we work with carefully selected vendors and business partners. If we have to share any information with these companies in order to provide a product or service to you, we first conduct a careful evaluation of their information and security systems and practices, and require administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to ensure the security and confidentiality of the American Express Network customer information. At any time, we may audit our partners and vendors to verify the continued security of their systems and practices.

  
  

  Linking to Other Internet Sites
  
  You should be aware that other Internet sites that you link to from the American Express Network site or an American Express Network email may contain privacy provisions that differ from the provisions of our Privacy Statement. To ensure your privacy is protected, we recommend that you review the privacy statements of other Internet sites you visit.

  
  

  Changes to this Online Privacy Statement
  
  The American Express Network reserves the right to change this Online Privacy Statement at any time by posting revisions on this Website. Such changes will be effective upon posting.