Contact: [email protected]
BestStop is an app for finding the cheapest fuel station taking into account the real cost of getting there (fuel price + the fuel and time spent on the detour), not just the price at the pump. It has no user accounts: we don't ask for your name, email or phone number to use it.
What data we process and why
Location
We use your location (with your permission) to work out which fuel stations are near you and how far you would detour if you are on your way somewhere else. It is sent to the server at the time of each search to calculate the result.
If usage statistics are turned on (see below), with each query we also store the position it was made from, but rounded to about 1 km: it tells us which areas the app is used from, not where you have been. It is stored linked to your device's pseudonymous identifier and the date for a maximum of 12 months. We do not use this data to evaluate, classify or make decisions about specific people, nor for advertising, and we do not sell it.
You can withdraw the location permission at any time in your phone's settings. BestStop does not have the background location permission: it does not know where you are when the app is not open.
Pseudonymous device identifier
The app generates a random identifier the first time you open it. It is not your name, email or anything that identifies you directly, but technically it is pseudonymised data, not anonymous. We use it for:
- Service security: limiting how many requests a single device can make and preventing abuse. This is strictly necessary for the service to work and is always on.
- Usage statistics, only if you have them turned on: knowing, in aggregate, which features are used, how many people use the app and how many come back.
You can see and copy it in Settings → This installation's identifier. It is deleted from your phone if you uninstall the app, and it is not included in Google or iCloud backups: if you reinstall, a new one is generated and the old records can no longer be linked to your new installation.
Usage statistics (you can turn them off)
In Settings → Send usage statistics (on by default) you decide whether we store data about how you use the app. With the switch on, linked to the pseudonymous identifier:
- Usage: searches, routes and nearby stations queried, app launches, settings changes and whether you delete your savings history, each with its date and the rounded position. The text of what you search for (for example, an address) is deleted after 90 days; everything else, after 12 months.
- Technical data: platform (Android or iOS), app and system version, phone model, configured languages and the language the app is shown in, where it is used from (the phone, the car screen or the widget) and the country you connect from. The country is inferred by our network provider from your IP address; we do not store the IP address.
- A summary of your settings when you open the app: fuel, vehicle type, search radius, consumption, tank capacity, range, whether you include tolls, how many discounts, favourite places and fill-ups you have logged (not which ones), whether you have granted the location and notification permissions, and whether you use dark mode.
If you turn it off, we store no record of your usage and the app stops sending the technical data and the settings summary. The app works exactly the same. We do not use device fingerprinting or any other identifier that survives uninstalling the app, and we do not use third-party analytics tools.
Feedback you send us
If you write to us from “Send feedback” in the app's settings, we store your message, the type of feedback and, only if you enter it, the contact you leave, together with the pseudonymous identifier and the technical data from the previous section (so we can reproduce the problem). Your location is not sent. The message reaches us by email through our sending provider (Brevo). We only use the contact to reply to you.
Settings, favourites and savings history
The content is stored on your phone: fuel, consumption, tank, favourite places, discount cards and fill-up history with the calculated savings. Only the values and counts described under “Usage statistics” reach our server, never your favourite places or the details of your fill-ups.
If your phone's backup is turned on (Android or iCloud), this data may be part of it. That backup is managed by Google or Apple, depending on your phone; BestStop has no access to it. You can turn it off in the system settings if you don't want this data to leave your phone.
The app also stores the last search for nearby stations on your phone, to show it to you if our server doesn't respond (the screen says it is older data). It includes the position you searched from, never leaves the phone and is not included in the backup.
Notifications
If you turn on notifications, you will receive alerts about price rises that have already been decided or have already happened in the market, specific to your country. We do not record whether you open or ignore these notifications.
Who else is involved
We do not sell your data or use it for advertising. Route, address and elevation calculations run on our own servers. These providers are involved, each only for what is stated:
| Provider | What for | What it receives |
|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare, Inc. (USA) | Network and security: all communication between the app and our server goes through it | Your IP address and the app's requests, in transit |
| OpenFreeMap | The map images, which your phone downloads directly | Your IP address and the area of the map you are viewing |
| CartoCiudad (Instituto Geográfico Nacional, Spain) | Finding addresses in Spain when you search for them | The text you search for |
| OpenStreetMap (fallback) | Finding addresses if our own address server doesn't respond | The text you search for and the approximate area |
| Google LLC — Google Places (USA) | Only when you search for a business by name and none of the sources above finds it | The text you search for and your position rounded to ~1 km |
| Brevo (Sendinblue SAS, France) | Email: the feedback you send us and support replies | The message, the technical data and the contact if you leave one |
Cloudflare and Google are in the United States. Transfers to these companies are covered by the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, to which both have adhered, and by the European Commission's standard contractual clauses. When you tap “navigate”, the app opens Google Maps or Apple Maps with the destination: from then on, that app's policy applies.
Legal basis for each processing
- Location to calculate the results you ask for: it is necessary to provide you with this BestStop feature (Article 6(1)(b) GDPR). Without it the app cannot know which stations are near you or calculate detours.
- Pseudonymous identifier for service security: legitimate interest in protecting the service against abuse (Article 6(1)(f)). It is strictly necessary to provide the service.
- Usage statistics (rounded position, technical data and settings summary): legitimate interest in knowing what works and what fails in the app (Article 6(1)(f)). We have weighed it against your privacy and apply these safeguards: the position is stored rounded to ~1 km, search text is deleted after 90 days, everything else after 12 months, no decisions are made about anyone, there is no advertising or third-party analytics, and you can turn it off at any time in the app without stopping using it.
- Feedback you send us: you send it voluntarily for us to read (Article 6(1)(f)). The optional contact, with your consent when you enter it (Article 6(1)(a)), to reply to you.
How long we keep data
- Usage records and feedback: a maximum of 12 months, after which they are deleted automatically.
- Search text: 90 days.
- Data stored only on your phone: until you delete it or uninstall the app.
Your rights
You can exercise your rights of access, rectification, erasure, objection, restriction of processing and portability by writing to [email protected].
As we have no user accounts, to locate your records we need your installation identifier, which you can copy in Settings → This installation's identifier. If we cannot reasonably identify which data is yours, we will ask you for additional information to locate it. If even then it is not possible, the conditions of Article 11 GDPR may apply.
To stop sending us statistics you don't need to write to us: just turn off the switch in Settings. To delete what is stored on your own phone, just uninstall the app.
If you believe we are not processing your data correctly, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) or with the data protection authority of your country.
Permissions the app requests
| Permission | What for |
|---|---|
| Location (precise/approximate) | Finding fuel stations near you and calculating routes |
| Notifications | Price rise alerts |
BestStop does not request access to contacts, camera, microphone, storage or background location.
Android Auto compatibility: BestStop can be used from the car screen. It is not a separately granted permission — it is a declared feature of the app, not additional access to your data.
Changes to this policy
If we make important changes, we will update the date above and, if the change substantially affects how we process your data, we will let you know within the app.
Contact
For any questions, including privacy: [email protected]