Legal

Privacy Policy

Last updated: 5 June 2026

This policy explains how Merchant Advice collects, uses, shares and protects your personal information when you use our website, complete an enquiry or landing-page form, submit one of our application forms, or otherwise contact us. It applies to merchantadvice.co.uk, including all of our enquiry and application forms.

We are an independent broker. That means part of what we do is pass your details to suitable payment providers, lenders, banks and other partners so they can quote for, underwrite, or provide the service you have asked us to help with. This policy explains when and why that happens.

1. Who we are

Merchant Advice is a division of OCRO LTD (company number 12774706), the data controller responsible for your personal information. Our registered office is 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9JQ.

We are registered with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) under reference ZB407501.

For any privacy question, or to exercise your rights, contact us at info@merchantadvice.co.uk or on 0204 525 9875.

2. The information we collect

Information you give us through enquiry and landing-page forms

When you complete a contact or landing-page form, or message us by WhatsApp, email or phone, we collect:

• Your first and last name.
• Your email address and phone number.
• Your company name and website, where you provide them.
• The details of your enquiry, including what you tell us about your business and what you are looking for.
• The page you enquired from, so we can route your enquiry to the right adviser.

Information you give us through our application forms

We use different application forms for different products and sectors, so the exact details we ask for vary. When you submit one of our application forms, we collect the information needed for us and our partners to assess and arrange that product or service. Depending on the form, this may include:

• Business details: company name, company number, business email and phone, website, number of directors, business type or industry, and whether you currently process payments.
• Financial documents: a copy of your business bank statement.
• Director and owner details: for each director or owner, their name, residential address and country.
• Identity and verification documents: a copy of photo ID and a proof of address for each director or owner.
• Product-specific details: where relevant to your sector, supporting information such as competition or prize details.
• Your consent to this privacy policy, recorded at the point of submission.

The identity and financial documents above are sensitive. We collect them because the providers, lenders and banks we work with are legally required to verify the identity of business owners and assess applications (for example to meet anti-money-laundering and "know your customer" obligations). We handle them with additional care, as described in section 8.

Information we collect automatically

When you use our website, we and our analytics and advertising partners may collect:

• Your IP address, approximate location, device, browser and operating system.
• How you use the site - pages visited, time on page, referring links, and the actions you take.
• Information from cookies and similar technologies, as described in section 6.

3. How and why we use your information

We use your information for the following purposes, each with a lawful basis under UK GDPR:

• To respond to your enquiry and give you advice. Lawful basis: taking steps at your request before entering a contract, and our legitimate interest in responding to enquiries.
• To arrange the product or service you ask us to help with - including passing your details and documents to suitable providers, lenders or banks for quotes, underwriting and onboarding. Lawful basis: taking steps at your request before entering a contract, and our legitimate interest in operating as a broker.
• To verify identity and meet legal and regulatory requirements applying to us or our partners, such as anti-money-laundering checks. Lawful basis: compliance with a legal obligation, and legitimate interests.
• To contact you about closely related products or services - see section 4. Lawful basis: legitimate interests, or consent where required.
• To measure and improve our website and marketing using analytics and advertising tools. Lawful basis: your consent (given through our cookie controls).
• To keep records, prevent fraud, and protect our business. Lawful basis: legitimate interests and legal obligation.

4. Marketing and how we contact you

We keep our marketing narrow and relevant. Specifically:

• We will only contact you about a product or service that relates closely to the enquiry or application you made with us.
• We will never sell, rent or lease your personal information to other organisations for their own marketing.
• We will not use your details for unrelated marketing that has nothing to do with your original enquiry.

You can ask us to stop contacting you at any time by replying to any message, or by emailing info@merchantadvice.co.uk. We will action your request promptly.

5. Who we share your information with

We share your information only where needed to deliver what you have asked for, or where we are required to. This may include:

• Payment providers, acquirers, lenders, funders and banks - so they can quote for, underwrite, approve, or provide the product or service you want. This is a core part of our role as a broker.
• Service providers acting on our behalf (processors) - including our website hosting, form and email tools, customer-relationship and lead-management systems, and communication tools such as WhatsApp.
• Analytics and advertising partners - Google (Google Analytics and Google Ads) and Meta (the Meta Pixel), as described in section 6.
• Professional advisers, regulators or authorities - where we are legally required to disclose information, or to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

We require the organisations that process data on our behalf to protect it and to use it only for the purposes we specify.

6. Cookies and tracking technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to run the site, understand how it is used, and measure our advertising. Beyond the cookies that are strictly necessary for the site to work, we use these only where you have given consent.

• Google Analytics - to understand how visitors use the site so we can improve it.
• Google Ads - to measure the performance of our advertising and show relevant ads.
• Meta Pixel - to measure and improve our advertising on Facebook and Instagram.

These tools may set cookies and collect identifiers and usage data. You can manage or withdraw your consent at any time through our cookie controls, and you can control cookies through your browser settings. For more detail, see Google's privacy policy and Meta's privacy policy.

7. International transfers

Some of our partners and tools - including Google and Meta - may process your information outside the UK, including in the United States. Where information is transferred outside the UK, we rely on appropriate safeguards recognised under UK data protection law, such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or addendum, or transfers to countries the UK considers to provide adequate protection.

8. How we protect your information

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to keep your information secure, and we take extra care with the identity and financial documents submitted through our application forms. Access is limited to those who need it to do their job or to arrange your application, and documents are shared with partners only through appropriate channels. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but we work to protect your information and to deal with any incident promptly.

9. How long we keep your information

We keep your information only for as long as we need it for the purposes set out in this policy, and to meet our legal and regulatory obligations.

• Application and verification documents - such as ID, proof of address and bank statements - are kept for up to 12 months.
• Your contact and enquiry details - we keep these for as long as you remain a merchant we are supporting, so that we can continue to help you.

If you tell us you no longer want Merchant Advice to assist you, or if your enquiry does not progress into an ongoing relationship (for example, a lead that goes cold), we will delete your information within 12 months.

When we no longer need your information, we securely delete or anonymise it.

10. Your rights

Under UK data protection law you have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you.
• Ask us to correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete.
• Ask us to delete your information, where there is no overriding reason to keep it.
• Ask us to restrict or object to how we use your information.
• Ask us to transfer your information to you or another provider (data portability).
• Withdraw your consent at any time, where we rely on consent.

To exercise any of these rights, email info@merchantadvice.co.uk. You also have the right to complain to the ICO at ico.org.uk, though we would welcome the chance to resolve any concern first.

11. Other websites

Our site may link to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites, and we encourage you to read their privacy policies.

12. Children

Our services are for businesses and are not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we will change the "last updated" date at the top of this page. Please check back periodically.

14. How to contact us

If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your information, contact us at info@merchantadvice.co.uk or on 0204 525 9875, or write to us at 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9JQ.