Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 2026 · Version: 2026-07-22

Switchbuddy ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use and safeguard your information when you use the Switchbuddy service (the "Service"), which includes our website and web application at www.switchbuddy.com.au and our mobile applications for iOS and other platforms. It applies however you access the Service.

By using Switchbuddy, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy.

Information We Collect

1. Account Information

When you create an account, we collect your email address and a secure password (stored in encrypted form). This allows you to log in, sync your data across devices and access your history.

2. Uploaded Bills

When you upload or scan an electricity bill, a copy of the file is stored securely in Google Cloud Storage (GCS) under your account. This allows you to re-download your bills and view them at any time.

3. Extracted Data

Switchbuddy uses OpenAI's technology to read your bill and create a structured summary (JSON) of key details such as usage, supply charges and retailer. This data is linked to your account for comparison and history tracking.

4. Usage Data

We may collect aggregated data (e.g., average usage, plan type, location by region) to improve the Service and to understand how it is being used.

5. Links You Follow to Retailers

When you follow a link from the Service to an energy retailer's website, we record that you did so — the retailer, the plan, the date and time, the estimated saving shown to you, your postcode and your account.

We use this to understand which plans people find worth pursuing and it is the basis of the reporting described under "Sharing of Information" below.

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to: Provide energy plan comparisons tailored to your actual usage. Display your current spend, historical data and savings opportunities. Direct you to a retailer's own website if you choose to look into one of their plans. Improve and maintain the Service's features and performance. We do not switch you to a new retailer and we do not pass your personal information to a retailer in order to arrange a switch. If you follow a link to a retailer's website, any details you enter there are collected by that retailer under their own privacy policy, not ours. We do not sell your personal information to third parties. We do not run advertising inside the Service.

Sharing of Information

We may give an energy retailer a report of the times their own plans were clicked through to from the Service. That report contains only the plan, the State and the date and time. It does not contain your name, email address, postcode, account, bill data, or anything else that identifies you and a retailer is not told how many customers the clicks came from. We do not give retailers your contact details and we do not give them a way to contact you. We also use trusted third-party providers to process data securely: Google Cloud Storage – for file storage. OpenAI – for bill data extraction and analysis. These providers are bound by their own security and privacy practices.

Data Storage & Security

Bill files are stored in Google Cloud Storage under your account in a private and secure manner. Files are accessible only through your authenticated account using secure, temporary download links. Passwords are encrypted and never stored in plain text. We apply industry-standard security measures to protect your data.

Copies Held on Your Own Device

When you photograph or upload a bill, the Service also keeps a copy of the bill image on the device you used, in that device's own app or browser storage. This is what lets My Bills show your bill images quickly and without re-downloading them. This copy stays on your device. It is not a backup we hold, we cannot read it remotely and it is separate from the copy stored in Google Cloud Storage. Each signed-in account has its own separate local store, so several people using the same device do not see one another's bills. Deleting a bill in the Service deletes both the stored copy and the copy on the device you delete it from. Deleting your account deletes the copies held on the device you delete it from, at the same time as the copies we hold. Because the copy is held per device, a bill you captured on one phone is not removed from that phone by deleting it on another. To clear a device you no longer use, clear the app's data or uninstall it.

Data Retention

Your bills and extracted data are retained as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, all associated bills and data will be permanently deleted from Google Cloud Storage and our databases. Copies held on your own device are removed when you delete the bills they belong to and when you delete your account from that device. Signing out does not clear the copies on a device, so that your bills are still there when you sign back in. If you are using a shared or borrowed device, delete your bills or clear the app's data before you hand it back.

Your Rights

You have the right to: Access your account and view your stored bills. Ask us to correct personal information we hold about you if it is wrong, out of date or incomplete. Delete individual bills from your account at any time. Request permanent deletion of your entire account and associated data. Contact us with any privacy-related questions. Some of this you can do yourself in the Service — your bills and your account can be deleted from Settings without asking us. For anything else, email privacy@switchbuddy.com.au We do not charge for access or correction requests.

Australian Privacy Principles and Complaints

We handle personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

If you think we have mishandled your personal information or breached the APPs, please tell us first so we have a chance to put it right. Email privacy@switchbuddy.com.au with what happened and what you would like us to do. We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 business days and give you a written response within 30 days.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you can refer the matter to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), which oversees privacy law in Australia — www.oaic.gov.au or 1300 363 992.

Children's Privacy

Switchbuddy is not intended for use by children under 13. We do not knowingly collect data from children.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Updates will be posted at www.switchbuddy.com.au/privacy with a "last updated" date.

Contact Us

If you have any questions or requests regarding this Privacy Policy, please contact us at: privacy@switchbuddy.com.au