Legal
Privacy Policy
How The World's Spare Change handles information. Short version: we collect as little as we need to run a personal $1 experiment — and we don't sell it.
Effective / last updated: October 2, 2026.
Who runs this
The World's Spare Change is a personal experiment run by one person (the site owner). Optional $1 tips go to that person personally, less payment-processing fees. This is not a charity, company product, or investment. This page explains what information may be collected and why.
Who this is for
This experiment is meant for adults.
- Under 13: Please do not tip. Do not send a phone number or email. We do not knowingly collect contact details from anyone under 13. If a parent or guardian tells us we have, we will delete them.
- Ages 13–17: A parent or guardian should be with you, and they should be the one who pays.
What we collect
- Payment details from Stripe: When you tip, Stripe processes the payment. We receive confirmation details we need for the live board and the jar — typically amount, time, and sometimes a country or billing country. We never see or store your full card number on this site. Stripe handles card and wallet data under Stripe's privacy policy.
- Optional phone number (SMS): Only if SMS is connected and you choose to opt in at Tip $1. We store the number to send short updates about the live total. Opt-in is unchecked by default. Consent is not required to tip. If SMS is not connected, the opt-in is not offered.
- Optional email: Only if email signup is connected and you subscribe. Your email may be stored with our email provider (MailerLite) so the site owner can send occasional updates about the experiment. You can unsubscribe anytime. If signup is not connected, the site will not pretend to collect emails.
- Hosting logs: Our host (Vercel) may log standard request data — IP address, browser, and pages visited — for security and reliability.
Why we collect it
To run the experiment: take optional $1 tips, show honest live totals and a country map, update the Secret Jar when real tips arrive, and contact you only when you asked us to (email or SMS). We do not sell your data. We do not use tips as an investment product or a charity donation.
Who sees it
The site owner. Service providers that help run the site process data only as needed: Stripe (payments), MailerLite (email when connected), Twilio (SMS when connected), and Vercel (hosting). The live map and ticker may show country-level tip activity. They do not show your name or full phone number.
The live map
Country on the map is inferred from payment data Stripe provides. It is approximate. It is not a precise location of where you live.
The journal
The public journal may mention tip totals, countries, or milestones. It will not publish your full name, email, or phone number from a tip.
Cookies and tracking
We do not use advertising cookies or sell data to advertisers. Stripe may set cookies needed to process payment securely. Hosting may use technical cookies for security and performance.
Retention
- Payment records: Kept as long as the live total and jar need them, and as long as tax or accounting records require.
- Phone numbers: Kept until you reply STOP, use the SMS opt-out, or otherwise ask us to remove them — then we delete them from our SMS list.
- Email: Kept until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete — then we remove you from the list.
- Hosting logs: Rotate on the host's schedule.
Your rights
You can use the site without tipping or signing up. To request access to or deletion of contact details we hold, email sjworldssparechange@gmail.com. For email, use the unsubscribe link in any message we send. For SMS, reply STOP or use the SMS opt-out.
Children's privacy
We do not knowingly collect contact details from anyone under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe we have, tell us at sjworldssparechange@gmail.com and we will delete them.
Changes
If this policy changes in a meaningful way, we will update this page and the date above.
Contact
Questions about privacy: sjworldssparechange@gmail.com.