The AIRMILES website serves up three types of cookie, each with a different purpose. In each case, the cookies are used for your convenience and pose no privacy threat.

Workstation cookies
These persistent cookies contain the name of the domain from which the cookie has come (e.g. www.airmiles.co.uk), the lifetime of the cookie and a value, usually a randomly generated unique number. There is no personal information. Together, this information enables AIRMILES to recognise consecutive visits to our web site from the same computer. In this way AIRMILES is able to piece together a sequence of visits.

This information enables us to analyse use of our site in order to compile anonymous, aggregated statistics. These statistics allow us to understand how customers use our site and so help us to improve the structure of our website.

Also, if you encounter any difficulty using the site our customer service agents may find it helpful to be able to see your past transaction details and the cookies enable us to put together the complete picture.

Logon cookies
These persistent cookies store your chosen Usename when you register on the site. This happens when you tick the box and it is simply a convenience so you don't have to remember your Username. If you un-tick the box, the cookie is deleted.

Session cookies
These cookies are stored in your computer's memory for the duration of a visit to our web site only. They contain a reference to the session that you currently have open on AIRMILES web server.

Their purpose is to link pages you visit, within your session, to identify you amongst all the other people using the site at the same time. This is essential. If you disable session cookies the site will use an alternative method to achieve the same result but this clutters up the URL in the Address bar of your browser. You may find this confusing and responses will be slightly slower.

Use of Web Beacons
Some web pages contain electronic images known as Web Beacons (sometimes known as clear gifs) that allow us to count users who have visited these pages. Web beacons collect only limited information which including a cookie number, time and date of a page view, and a description of the page on which the Web beacon resides. We may also carry web beacons placed by third party advertisers. These beacons do not carry any personally identifiable information and are only used to help us understand how users use our website, and to track the effectiveness of a particular campaign.

Some members have reported attempts to gain access to their personal information via email requests that appear to be sent from AIRMILES. These emails often include requests to submit login information or personal details.

AIRMILES are committed to your online security. We will never ask you to provide log in passwords, credit card numbers, or other sensitive information via email. If we request information from you, we will always direct you back to the AIRMILES site to submit it. If you receive email asking you to provide sensitive information by email it is a hoax or spoof and it is quite likely that these emails will contain attached viruses or similar destructive files. Do not open or respond to these emails as they are not from AIRMILES. Also make sure that if an email directs you back to airmiles.co.uk that the address bar in your browser shows an address beginning with http://airmiles.co.uk/ this will ensure that you have actually been directed to our site to submit your details.