This Privacy Policy explains how GOL, LLC, doing business as Beacon Processing Solutions ("Beacon," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, shares, and protects personal information. It applies to our website at beaconfident.com, our payment processing services, our free rate audits, Beacon Intelligence, and our Statement Decoder plugin for ChatGPT.
1. Information we collect
Information you give us
- Contact details: name, email address, phone number, business name, and anything else you enter in our forms or send us.
- Rate audit materials: processing statements you upload when you request a rate audit. These show your business's sales volume and fees. We ask that you black out account numbers before uploading.
- Merchant account applications: if you apply for processing services, we collect the information our banking and processing partners require to open and underwrite an account. This can include owner names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security or tax identification numbers, business bank account details, and business financial information.
- Beacon Intelligence: your website address and contact details when you request an AI visibility audit.
Information collected automatically
- Usage data: IP address, browser and device type, pages visited, time on page, and how you arrived at our site.
- Cookies and similar tools: we use Google Analytics (through Google Tag Manager) to measure site traffic, Microsoft Clarity to understand how visitors use our pages (including session recordings and heatmaps), and the LinkedIn Insight Tag to measure the results of our LinkedIn advertising.
Information from partners
If you are a Beacon processing client, our banking and processing partners provide us with your account, transaction, and statement information so we can support and service your account.
We never ask for full payment card numbers. Card data from your customers is handled by our PCI DSS compliant processing partners, not stored by Beacon.
2. How we use information
- Respond to your questions and requests
- Prepare rate audits and savings reports
- Submit and support merchant account applications
- Service client accounts, including pricing reviews and support
- Send you information about our services (you can opt out at any time)
- Measure and improve our website and advertising
- Protect against fraud and keep our systems secure
- Comply with legal, banking, and card network obligations
3. Who we share information with
We do not sell your personal information. We share it only with the following categories of recipients:
| Recipient | Why |
|---|---|
| Banking and processing partners, including Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. | To underwrite, open, and service merchant accounts |
| Service providers: website hosting (DreamHost), forms (Tally, WPForms), email and file storage (Google Workspace), website security and backups | To operate our website and business, under contracts that limit their use of your information |
| Analytics and advertising providers: Google, Microsoft, LinkedIn | To measure site use and advertising results |
| Legal and regulatory authorities | When required by law, regulation, card network rules, or to protect our rights |
| A buyer or successor | If our business is sold or merged, subject to this policy |
4. Statement Decoder for ChatGPT
Statement Decoder is a plugin for ChatGPT and Codex that explains credit card processing statements.
- What Beacon collects through the plugin: nothing. The plugin contains instructions and reference material only and does not connect to any Beacon server.
- Where your data goes: statements you upload and your conversation are processed by OpenAI under OpenAI's privacy policy and your ChatGPT settings. Beacon does not receive, see, or store them.
- What not to share: the plugin asks you not to upload card numbers, bank account or routing numbers, tax ID or Social Security numbers, or login details. You can black out your merchant ID before uploading.
- If you contact us: if you follow the link at the end of a report and request a review, the information you submit on our website is handled under the rest of this policy.
- Your controls: you can uninstall the plugin at any time in ChatGPT, and manage or delete your conversations in your ChatGPT settings.
5. How long we keep information
| Information | How long |
|---|---|
| Rate audit statements (if you do not become a client) | Deleted within 90 days after we deliver your audit |
| Contact and inquiry information | Up to 3 years after our last interaction, or until you ask us to delete it |
| Merchant client records and applications | For the life of the account and up to 7 years after, as required by banking, tax, and card network rules |
| Analytics data | Up to 14 months, per the analytics provider's retention settings |
| Statement Decoder plugin | Not applicable. Beacon receives no data from the plugin. |
6. Your choices and rights
- Marketing emails: use the unsubscribe link in any email or contact us.
- Cookies and analytics: you can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. You can also use the Google Analytics opt-out add-on and manage LinkedIn ad settings in your LinkedIn account.
- Access, correction, and deletion: you can ask us what personal information we hold about you, ask us to correct it, or ask us to delete it. We will respond within 45 days. Some records must be kept to meet legal and banking obligations, and we will tell you if that applies.
- Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights under state privacy laws. We will not treat you differently for exercising any of these rights.
To make a request, use our contact form or call 866-430-2322.
7. How we protect information
We use administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect personal information, and we are PCI DSS compliant through SecurityMetrics. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.
8. Children
Our website and services are for businesses and are not directed to anyone under 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.
9. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy. When we do, we will change the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Material changes will be highlighted on this page.
10. Contact us
GOL, LLC, doing business as Beacon Processing Solutions
Phone: 866-430-2322
Contact form