Cookie Policy
What are cookies?
A cookie is a small text file that is downloaded on to your computer, tablet or smartphone when you visit a website.
We use cookies when you visit our websites for the following reasons:
- To keep the websites and the details you enter into them secure,
- To make our websites as easy as possible for users to use,
- To help us understand how effective our website content is and the performance of our marketing, and
- To help with advertising campaigns.
To learn more about cookies visit www.allaboutcookies.org/manage-cookies
Different types of cookies
Below is an overview of the two different types of cookies our websites use.
- First party cookies: These are cookies that are created by and placed on your computer by the owner of the website. This type of cookie is usually essential to the running of the website.
- Third party cookies: These are cookies that are managed by a third party but are placed on your computer by the owner of the website. This type of cookie is often used to help monitor activity on the website or to record how visitors to the website got there.
These can either be:
- Session cookies: These are cookies that are automatically deleted when you leave the website or close your browser.
- Persistent cookies: These are cookies that remain on your computer either until it reaches a pre-set expiry date or you choose to remove it.
Blocking cookies
You can stop cookies from being placed on your computer. However, if do this for our website you will not be able to use some of the online services we offer, for example it would not be possible to manage your accounts online or to apply for an account online.
If you want to block cookies from our website you will need to change the 'cookie settings' in your web browser.
Each web browser is different, and you can find out how to do this in your browser's help section.
First party cookies that we currently use
These cookies are essential, as they ensure your security and privacy when you use our secure sites, as well as enabling you to move around a website and use its features. Without these cookies, services you've asked for (such as access to secure areas) can't be provided. These cookies don't gather information about you that could be used for marketing or remembering where you've been on the internet.
- cookie_sbs
- NET_SessionID
- verWarn
- PortalID
- __RequestVerificationToken_
- PortalTicket
Third party cookies that we currently use
The third party cookies that we use do not collect your name or address. For more information about the cookie provider and how they apply cookies please visit their website, using the details shown below
The third party cookies we use are as follows
These cookies are managed by Google Analytics and we use them to understand the number of website visits, how users find the website and how they use the website.
- _ga (expires after 2 years)
- _gid (expires after 24 hours)
- _gat (expires after 2 years)
- Id (expires after 1 year)
- IDE (expires after 14 days)
These cookies are managed by DoubleClick and we use them to improve our advertising on third party websites. Some common uses include targeting advertising based on what’s relevant to a user, improving reporting on advertising campaign performance and to avoid showing ads that the user has already seen.
- Id (expires after 1 year)
- IDE (expires after 14 days)
These cookies are managed by Google AdWords and they are used to improve search engine and display advertising. An example use of this information is to display more relevant advertising to a user based on the content that they have previously viewed on our website.
- NET_SessionId (expires after 20 minutes)
- site24x7rumID (expires after 3 days)
- AWSELB (expires after 20 minutes)
These cookies are managed by ServiceTick and we use them to display surveys on our websites to collect user feedback.
- OptimizelySegments (expires after 10 years)
- OptimizelyEndUserId (expires after 10 years)
- OptimizelyBuckets (expires after 10 years)
These cookies are managed by Optimizely and we use them to test new website content to improve the user experience.
- sess (expires after 1 day)
- uuid2 (expires after 90 days)
- anj (expires after 90 days)
These cookies are managed by AppNexus and we use them to improve our advertising on third party websites. Some common uses include targeting advertising based on what’s relevant to a user, improving reporting on campaign performance and to avoid showing ads that the user has already seen.