Cookie Policy
Understanding how and why we use cookies
We use cookies to give you the best possible experience on our website. Cookies allow you to do many things such as apply for insurance products and log on to retrieve quotes and when you visit this site, we ask for your consent to use cookies.
To find out more about how we use cookies and what benefits they bring, please take a few moments to read this Cookie Policy.
What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files that are sent to and stored on your computer, smartphone or other device for accessing the internet, whenever you visit a website. Cookies are useful because they allow a website to recognise a visitor's device.
Cookies can also allow us to tailor the content of our website to suit your interests. For example, instead of displaying promotional messages about products you already have, they let us show you other services you may be interested in. The cookies we use cannot read or search your computer, smartphone or web-enabled device to obtain information about you or your family, or read any material kept on your hard drive.
At HSBC, we use cookies for a variety of reasons, such as to determine preferences, let visitors navigate between pages efficiently, verify the visitor and carry out other essential security checks. Some of the functions that cookies perform can also be achieved using similar technologies. This policy refers to ‘cookies’ throughout, however it also covers these alternate mechanisms.
More information about cookies can be found on allaboutcookies.org.
Cookies used by HSBC on this website
Essential Cookies
These cookies are essential for our on-line services (including on-line chat) and tools to work. They collect or record information that we need to make our site work.
| Cookie name | Description |
|---|---|
| JSESSIONID | This cookie enables you to carry out some essential functions on our sites, such as maintaining log in details for the session or a transaction. They also help by minimising the need to transfer information across the internet. They are not stored on your computer and they expire when you terminate your browser session. |
| LivePerson ID | This cookie used in conjuction with HumanClickKEY cookie, gathers usage data relating to a visitor’s visit. The information gathered is essential for determining whether a chat window should launch on customers browser. This cookie is persistent and will expire after 12 months. |
| HumanClickKEY | This cookie is used as a session key for each visit and gathers usage data relating to a visitor’s visit (including time spent on page of website). This cookie terminates when you close the on-line chat window. |
| HumanClickACTIVE | This cookie is an acceptance test cookie which is used to test if a cookie can be set on a browser. This cookie is used when monitoring for on-line chat is initiated. This cookie is persistent and will expire after 12 months. |
| HumanClickSiteContainerID_<SITEID> | This cookie is used to distribute usage of on-line chat services across as cluster of servers. This cookie terminates when you close the on-line chat window. |
| IpCloseInvite | This cookie is added to prevent a rare situation of repeat on-line chat invitations to the same visitor. This cookie terminates when you close the on-line chat window. |
| HumanClickCHATKEY | This cookie creates a unique key to identify each on-line chat session. This is used for security purposes to identify each on-line chat and is set when visitor requests an on-line chat engagement. This cookie terminates when you close the on-line chat window. |
| LPit | This cookie is used to allow the on-line chat system to optimise its service for customers. This cookie terminates when you close the on-line chat window. |
Functionality and performance cookies
These cookies let us monitor how our website is performing so we can make regular improvements and tailor the content of our website to suit your interests.
| Cookie name | Description |
|---|---|
| WT_FPC ACOOKIE | This Webtrend cookie identifies if you come back to our site, how often, and what your preferences are. No personal information is stored in the cookie and no data is extracted from your computer or device. To read more about this cookie, including the provider's privacy policy, please visit www.webtrends.com. |
| WTSeg3 | This cookie records whether you are a new or existing customer for our third party provider, Webtrends |
| s_sq | This analytics cookie is set and read by the JavaScript code when the ClickMap functionality is enabled; it contains information about the previous link that was clicked on by the visitor. This cookie expires when you close your browser. |
| s_vi | This analytics cookie stores an unique visitor identification and associated date and time. This cookie is persistent and will expire after 24 months. |
| S_fin | This analytics cookie stores an unique visitor identification and associated date and time – if s_vi cookie noted above fails. This cookie is persistent and will expire after 24 months. |
| mbox | This cookie allows us to test on-line content to see how visitors reaction and make it more relevant to visitors. |
| usy46gabsosd | This cookie provides the coordinating reference for information on the visitor's activity during the session. The timestamp enables us to identify extended periods of inactivity and so classify those as a new session. The four digit load balancer ID is a random reference that remains constant through the session for the use of the operators load balancers. This cookie expires when you close your browser. |
| csaHSBCuvt | This cookie allows us to tie together visitor activity between visitor sessions using the UVT reference. The cookie name varies with the csaid. This cookie is persistent and expires after 6 months. |
| csaHSBCkey | This cookie protects the system from attempts to spoof the session reference. The session reference alone is a simple long integer which rises monotonically as new sessions arrive and is thus easy to predict. The session key is random and unpredictable. The system checks that both are present and consistent. The cookie name varies with the csaid. This cookie expires when you close your browser. |
| csaHSBCDBID | This cookie ensures that all data from one visitor is sent by the system to the same database or real-time server. The cookie name varies with the csaid. This cookie expires when you close your browser. |