Privacy Policy

1. Overview

Optec Payments ("Optec," "we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy and security of the personal information we collect from prospective merchants, existing clients, 1099 independent sales agent applicants, referral partners, and visitors to our website (collectively, "you" or "users"). This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, disclose, store, and protect your information when you visit our website, use our online agent and merchant portals, use our mobile application, submit a form, upload documents, or engage with our services (together, the "Platform").

By using the Platform or submitting any information — including personal identification documents — through the Platform, you expressly consent to the collection, use, storage, and processing of your information as described in this policy. If you do not agree to this policy, please do not use the Platform or submit personal information.

2. Who We Collect Information From

We collect personal information from two primary categories of individuals:

3. Information We Collect

From Prospective Merchants and Clients

When you submit a contact form, rate analysis request, inquiry, or merchant application, we collect:

• Full name and title
• Business name and type
• Email address and phone number
• Business address
• Current payment processing details (processor name, volume, rate information from statements)
• Information required for merchant account underwriting, which may include ownership details, tax identification numbers, bank account details, and supporting business documents
• Electronic signature data when you sign agreements through the Platform
• Any other information you voluntarily provide in your message or inquiry

From 1099 Agent Applicants and Partners

When you submit an agent onboarding application, we collect all of the above, plus:

• Government-issued photo identification (such as a driver's license or state ID)
• IRS Form W-9 (including your legal name, business name if applicable, taxpayer identification number or Social Security Number, and address)
• Voided check or bank authorization letter (including your bank account and routing numbers)
• Company or DBA name and address
• Payout preferences and payout account details for commission payments

Collected Automatically Through the Platform

• Device and usage information, such as browser type, operating system, IP address, and pages visited
• If you use our mobile application: device identifiers and push notification tokens (see Section 15)
• Email engagement information, such as whether an email we sent you was delivered, opened, or clicked (see Section 13)

4. How We Use Your Information

For Merchants and Clients

• To respond to your inquiries and provide requested information about our services
• To prepare rate analyses, cost comparisons, and service proposals
• To initiate and manage your merchant account application with our acquiring bank partners
• To communicate with you about your account, services, or business relationship
• To comply with legal, regulatory, and financial industry requirements

For 1099 Agent Applicants and Partners

• To verify your identity as required by our compliance and partner program obligations
• To evaluate your application for our agent or partner program
• To issue IRS Form 1099-NEC for compensation paid to you as required by law
• To process commission, residual, and bonus payments to your designated bank account
• To communicate with you regarding your application status, partnership, and compensation
• To maintain accurate business records as required by applicable law and our bank partners

For All Users

• To improve our website, services, and user experience
• To generate summaries, insights, and recommendations using artificial intelligence (see Section 8)
• To send service-related communications and updates (you may opt out at any time)
• To protect against fraud, unauthorized access, and illegal activity
• To comply with legal obligations and protect our legal rights

5. Bank Account Linking (Plaid)

Where the Platform offers the option to connect a bank account electronically, that connection is made through Plaid Inc. ("Plaid"). When you choose to link an account, you provide your bank credentials directly to Plaid — we never see or store your online banking username or password. Plaid provides us with the information needed for the stated purpose, which may include account and routing numbers, account ownership details, and account balances.

Your use of Plaid is governed by Plaid's own privacy policy, available at plaid.com/legal. Linking a bank account through Plaid is optional; where available, you may instead provide bank details manually (such as a voided check).

6. Payments and Billing (Stripe)

Payments and subscriptions processed through the Platform are handled by Stripe, Inc. ("Stripe"). When you make a payment, your card or bank details are collected and processed by Stripe — we do not store full payment card numbers on our systems. Stripe may also collect device and browser information for fraud prevention. Stripe's privacy policy is available at stripe.com/privacy. Note that this section covers payments you make to us through the Platform; merchant payment processing services are provided under separate merchant processing agreements with our acquiring bank partners.

7. Electronic Signatures

Certain agreements — including participation agreements, agent agreements, and merchant processing agreements — are signed electronically through the Platform's own e-signature service; no third-party signature service receives your documents. When we send a document for signature, we email a secure signing link to the signer's email address. When you open and sign, we collect and retain your typed or drawn signature, the printed name you provide, your email address, your IP address, your device and browser type, the times the document was sent, opened, and signed (or declined, with the reason you give), and a fingerprint of the document you signed. This information appears on the signed document and its certificate of completion, and is kept as part of the executed agreement record. Signed agreements are retained as legal records, including after an account is closed, for as long as needed to evidence the agreement and meet legal obligations.

8. Artificial Intelligence Features

Parts of the Platform use artificial intelligence to generate summaries, insights, and recommendations — for example, daily activity summaries for account administrators, business insights about prospects, and AI-assisted chat features. To provide these features, relevant business information (such as business names, application status, activity summaries, and text you enter into AI-assisted features) is transmitted to third-party artificial intelligence service providers for processing.

• We do not send sensitive documents (government IDs, W-9 forms, bank documents) to AI providers
• AI-generated content is informational only and may contain inaccuracies; it does not constitute financial, legal, or professional advice
• Our AI providers are engaged as service providers and are not authorized to use your information for their own marketing purposes

Do not enter information into AI-assisted features that you do not want processed by an AI service provider.

9. Merchant Customer Records (Built-in CRM)

Merchants can keep a list of their own customers — such as names, contact details, tags, notes and follow-up dates — in the Platform's built-in Customers tool. For this information:

• The merchant controls the information and decides what to store and how to use it. We process it only on the merchant's behalf, to provide the Customers tool.
• The merchant is responsible for having the right to store its customers' details and for obtaining its customers' consent before contacting them.
• We do not sell this information or use it to market to anyone. Partner organizations and sales agents see only how many customers a merchant has, never the records themselves. Our staff open a merchant's records only when providing support at the merchant's request, and that access is logged.
• We use only anonymous, aggregate statistics across all businesses — for example, how many businesses use the tool and how many customers and follow-ups are recorded in total — to maintain and improve the service and to plan our products. These statistics never identify an individual customer, and figures for groups of fewer than five businesses are not shown.
• A merchant can edit or delete any record at any time, and can ask us to delete all of its customer records through the request process in Section 17. If you are a merchant's customer and want your information corrected or removed, please contact that merchant.

10. How We Store Your Information

Personal information submitted through our contact and inquiry forms is stored in a secure database accessible only to authorized Optec Payments personnel.

Documents uploaded through the Platform — including agent onboarding documents (government ID, W-9, voided checks), merchant application documents, and photos captured or selected through our mobile application — are stored in encrypted cloud object storage (Google Cloud Storage) in a private, access-controlled environment. These files are not publicly accessible. Access is restricted to authorized Optec Payments staff for the stated business purposes.

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, to comply with our legal obligations (including IRS record-keeping requirements for 1099 contractors), resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. Our retention schedule is:

• Pre-applications that do not become a full merchant application — deleted, with their uploaded documents, 180 days after submission
• Merchant applications that are not approved — personal details and uploaded documents removed two (2) years after the last activity
• Agent applications that are not approved — personal details and uploaded documents removed two (2) years after the last activity
• Merchant accounts — kept while active and for seven (7) years after the account closes (card-network, bank-partner and tax requirements), then anonymized
• Agent accounts, including W-9 tax details and payout records — kept while active and for seven (7) years after the relationship ends (IRS 1099 requirements), then anonymized
• Password-reset and sign-in links — deleted 30 days after they expire

An automated process applies this schedule daily. Financial records we are required to keep (such as statements, payouts, chargebacks and signed agreements) are retained for the full legal period with personal details removed where the law allows.

11. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes. We may share your information with:

• Acquiring banks and payment networks — as required to process merchant account applications and facilitate payment processing services
• Payroll and accounting service providers — for the purpose of issuing compensation payments and required tax forms to 1099 agents
• Compliance and identity verification services — to meet financial industry Know Your Customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering (AML) obligations
• Payment and banking service providers — including Stripe (payments) and Plaid (bank account linking), as described in Sections 5–6
• Communication service providers — that deliver our emails (including signing links and signing confirmations, and delivery and engagement tracking) and SMS text messages on our behalf
• Artificial intelligence service providers — that process business information to generate summaries and insights, as described in Section 8
• Cloud storage, analytics, and technology service providers — who assist us in operating our business infrastructure and are bound by confidentiality obligations
• White-label partner organizations — if you were introduced to the Platform through a partner organization operating a branded version of it, as described in Section 16
• Legal and regulatory authorities — when required by law, subpoena, court order, or to protect the rights, safety, and property of Optec Payments and others
• Successors — in the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of our business assets

12. Data Security

We implement industry-standard and commercially reasonable security measures to protect your personal information, including:

• TLS/SSL encryption for all data transmitted to and from our website
• 256-bit encryption for data at rest in our storage systems
• Access controls and authentication requirements for all internal systems
• Private, non-public cloud storage for uploaded sensitive documents
• Rate limiting and abuse prevention on all data submission endpoints

However, no method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. If you have reason to believe that your information has been compromised, please contact us immediately at Sales@optecpay.com.

13. Cookies, Analytics, and Tracking Technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to improve your browsing experience and analyze site traffic. Specifically:

• Analytics cookies. We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use our website — for example, which pages are visited and for how long. Google may set cookies and collect device and usage information for this purpose when you load our website. You can learn how Google uses this data at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites, and opt out of Google Analytics at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
• Email engagement tracking. Emails we send may contain technologies that tell us whether a message was delivered, opened, or clicked. We use this to understand whether our communications are reaching you and to improve them. You can limit open tracking by disabling image loading in your email client, and you can opt out of non-essential emails using the unsubscribe link in the message.
• Essential cookies and local storage. We use strictly necessary technologies to keep you signed in to the Platform and remember choices such as your cookie preference.

The cookie banner on our website records your cookie preference. You can also control or delete cookies at any time through your browser settings, and limit analytics collection using the Google Analytics opt-out linked above. Declining cookies does not affect your ability to browse the website.

14. Text Message (SMS) Consent

By providing your phone number and consenting to receive text messages from Optec Payments, you agree to receive SMS messages related to our services. These messages may include:

• Service updates and announcements
• Application status notifications
• Account alerts and notifications
• Appointment reminders and follow-ups
• One-time verification codes when signing in to the Platform

Consent to receive text messages is not a condition of purchasing any goods or services from Optec Payments. Message frequency may vary depending on your account activity and service needs. Our text messages are delivered by a third-party SMS provider that processes your phone number and message content on our behalf.

Opt-Out: You may opt out of receiving text messages at any time by replying STOP to any message you receive from us. After opting out, you will receive a one-time confirmation message, and no further SMS messages will be sent unless you re-subscribe.

Help: For assistance with our text messaging program, reply HELP to any message or contact us at Sales@optecpay.com.

15. Mobile Application

Our mobile application for agents and partners collects the following in addition to the information described above:

• Camera and photo library access. With your permission, the app uses your device's camera and photo library so you can capture and upload documents such as driver's licenses, voided checks, and business licenses. Photos are uploaded to our private cloud storage (see Section 10); we do not access your photo library beyond the items you select.
• Push notifications. With your permission, the app registers a push notification token for your device so we can send you notifications about your account and activity. You can disable push notifications at any time in your device settings, and the associated token is deactivated when you sign out of the app.
• Device information. Basic device information (such as platform and app version) used to operate the app and troubleshoot problems.

The mobile application does not collect your precise location and does not use third-party advertising trackers.

16. White-Label Partner Programs

The Platform also powers branded portals and mobile experiences operated by partner organizations under their own names, logos, and website domains ("Partner Programs"). If you signed up through a Partner Program — for example, as an agent or merchant of a partner organization — please note:

• The partner organization is responsible for its relationship with you, including deciding what information is collected through its branded portal and how that information is used within its program
• Optec Payments hosts and processes that information on the partner organization's behalf in order to operate the Platform, under the safeguards described in this policy
• Communications you receive through a Partner Program (email, SMS, notifications) may be sent under the partner organization's branding
• Authorized Optec Payments platform staff may access Partner Program data as needed to provide technical support, maintain security, and operate the Platform; this access is logged

For questions about a partner organization's own privacy practices, contact that organization directly. For questions about how the Platform processes your information, contact us using the details in Section 22.

17. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your jurisdiction and applicable law, you may have the right to:

• Request access to the personal information we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal information
• Request deletion of your personal information, subject to our legal retention obligations
• Withdraw consent for optional communications and marketing
• Request a portable copy of the personal information we hold about you

Please note that certain personal information — including tax identification numbers and records required for 1099 reporting, and records our bank partners require us to keep — cannot be deleted prior to the expiration of applicable legal retention periods. Where full deletion is not possible, we honor deletion requests by anonymizing your account: personal identifiers such as your name and email address are removed or replaced, and the documents you uploaded are permanently deleted, so the remaining records no longer identify you.

How to make a request

1. Email Sales@optecpay.com with the subject line "Privacy request".
2. Tell us what you would like: a copy of your data, a correction, or deletion.
3. Include the name, business name and email address on your account or application so we can find your records. Do not send Social Security, tax ID or bank account numbers by email.
4. We will verify your identity — usually by replying to the email address we have on file — before acting on the request.

We aim to respond within 30 days and no later than 45 days, as required by applicable law. A copy of your data is provided as a downloadable file containing the records we hold about you and the documents you uploaded; sensitive identifiers are shown masked to their last four digits. If you applied through or work with one of our partners, you may send your request to them or to us. An authorized agent may make a request on your behalf with your written permission. We will not discriminate against you for exercising these rights.

18. California Privacy Rights

California residents may have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), including the right to know what personal information is collected, the right to delete personal information, and the right to opt out of the sale of personal information. We do not sell personal information. To exercise your California privacy rights, please contact us at Sales@optecpay.com.

19. Children's Privacy

Our services are intended exclusively for business use by individuals 18 years of age or older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under 18. If we learn that we have inadvertently collected information from a person under 18, we will delete it promptly.

20. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites and encourage you to review their respective privacy policies before providing any personal information.

21. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Your continued use of our website or submission of information after any such changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

22. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests related to this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at: