How We Use Cookie and Location Data

We use cookies on our websites to help, provide, protect and improve our services. 

This notice describes the cookies we use and explains how we deal with the collected data. It also explains how cookies enable our website to function properly and why you may not be able to experience the full functionality of the website if you disable the use of cookies. This should be read alongside, and in addition to, the Cookie Notice. By visiting our website without changing your settings, you agree to receive cookies. If you do not accept the use of cookies, you can change your cookie settings at any time by following the instructions below.

Cookies are text files containing small amounts of data which are downloaded to your computer or mobile device when you visit a certain webpage. Cookies are then sent back to the originating webpage on each subsequent visit, or to another webpage that recognises that cookie. Cookies are widely used in order to make websites work, or to work more efficiently. Cookies do lots of different jobs, like letting you navigate between pages efficiently, remembering your preferences, and generally improving the user experience. Cookies may tell us, for example, whether you have visited our website before or whether you are a new visitor. They can also help to ensure that adverts you see online are more relevant to you and your interests. There are two broad categories of cookies:

• first-party cookies, served directly by us to your computer or mobile device; and
• third-party cookies, which are served by a third party on our behalf (and we may use third-party cookies for functionality, performance/analytics, advertising/tracking and social media purposes).

Cookies can remain on your computer or mobile device for different periods of time. Some cookies are session cookies, meaning that they are stored only temporarily during a browsing session and expire when you close your browser. Other cookies are persistent cookies, meaning that they are saved on your computer or mobile device for a fixed period and are not deleted when the browser is closed. They can be used by our website to recognise your computer or mobile device when you open your browser and browse the internet again.

We use cookies for a variety of reasons, including:

• to enable, facilitate and streamline the functioning of and your access to our website;
• to track traffic flow and patterns of travel in connection with our website;
• to understand the total number of visitors to our website on an ongoing basis and the types of internet browsers and operating systems used by our visitors;
• to monitor the performance of our website and continually improve them; and
• to customise and enhance your online experience.

The types of cookies used by us and our partners in connection with our website can be classified into one of five categories, namely cookies necessary for essential services, functionality cookies, performance and analytics cookies, advertising and tracking cookies, and social media cookies. We have set out some further information below about each category and the purposes of the cookies used:

Cookies necessary for essential services

These cookies are essential to provide you with our website and any services available through the website and to use some of their features, such as access to our Met Card program. Without these cookies, services you have asked for might not be possible.

Functionality cookies

Functionality cookies record data about choices you have made and allow us to tailor our websites to you. These cookies mean that when you continue to use or come back to the websites, we can provide you with our services as you have asked for them to be provided.

Performance and analytics cookies

We use performance/analytics cookies to analyse how our website is accessed, used or is performing in order to provide you with a better user experience and to maintain, operate and continually improve the website. For example, these cookies allow us:

• to gain a better understanding of our website visitors so that we can improve how we present our content;
• to test different design ideas for particular pages, such as our homepage;
• to determine the number of unique users of the website;
• to improve our websites by measuring any errors that occur; and
• to conduct research and diagnostics to improve product offerings.

To help us understand how users engage with our website we use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. (“Google”) which uses cookies. Google Analytics collects data on the usage of our website. This data is used to compile reports and create services to help us improve our website and the services associated with it. The reports disclose website trends without identifying individual visitors. The data generated by the Google cookie about your use of our website (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States. Google may also transfer this data to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the data on Google's behalf. Google will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Google. For more data on Google Analytics and how to opt out from Google Analytics please visithttps://www.google.com/analytics/learn/privacy.html

Advertising and tracking cookies

We may allow third-party companies to place cookies on our website. These cookies enable such companies to track your activity across various sites where they display ads and record your activities so they can show ads that they consider relevant to you as you browse the Internet. These cookies store data about the content you are browsing together with an identifier linked to your device or IP address. These cookies also allow us and third parties to know whether you have seen an ad or a type of ad, and how long it has been since you have last seen it. This data is used for frequency-capping purposes, to help tailor the ads you see, and to measure the effectiveness of ads.

Social media cookies

On some pages of our website, third parties that provide applications through our website may set their own cookies in order to track the success of their applications or to customize applications for you. For example, when you share content using a social-media sharing button on our website (e.g. Facebook, Twitter or Google Plus), the social network that has created the button will record that you have done this. Because of how cookies work, we cannot access these cookies, nor can the third parties access the data in cookies used by us.

You have the right to accept or stop cookies from being stored on your device by modifying the settings in your web browser to reflect your cookie preferences. You may refuse the use of cookies at any time by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser; however, please note that if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of our website. Unless you have adjusted your browser setting so that it will refuse cookies, cookies will be issued when you log on to our site and you will have been deemed to consent to the processing of data about you in the manner and for the purposes set out in this Cookie Notice.

We will occasionally update our Cookie Notice to reflect changes in our practices and services. When we implement changes to our approach, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top of this Notice. If we make any material changes in the way we collect, use, and/or share data held in cookies, we will notify you by prominently posting notice of the changes on our website. We recommend that you check this page from time to time to inform yourself of any changes in our Approach to Cookies

If you have disabled one or more cookies, we may still use data collected from cookies prior to your disabled preference being set; however, we will stop using the disabled cookie to collect any further data.