Cookie policy
Draft for launch review. This is accurate to what the site does today. If you add analytics, advertising or embedded third-party content later, this page and the cookie notice will need updating first – those would need your consent under UK PECR before they load.
Last updated 23 September 2026
The short version
WatchMyStay uses one cookie, and it exists only to keep you signed in. We run no analytics, no advertising and no third-party tracking on this site, so there is nothing else to opt in or out of.
The cookie we use
| Name | Purpose | Type | Set when | Expires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
tg_session | Keeps you signed in between visits, so you don’t have to request a new sign-in link every time | First-party, strictly necessary | Only after you confirm a magic-link email – never before, and never for a visitor who hasn’t signed in | 30 days, or immediately if you sign out or delete your account |
This cookie is strictly necessary: the site cannot keep you signed in without it, and under the UK Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), strictly necessary cookies don’t require your consent – only that we tell you about them, which is what this page and the notice on first visit do. It:
- is marked HttpOnly, so it can’t be read by JavaScript, including any injected by a browser extension or a compromised third-party script;
- is marked Secure in production, so it’s only ever sent over an encrypted connection;
- is scoped SameSite=Lax, so other websites can’t make your browser send it on their behalf;
- contains a random session identifier only – not your email address, password or any other personal data in readable form.
What we don’t use
- No Google Analytics, Meta Pixel, or any other analytics or advertising cookie.
- No third-party embeds (fonts, video, chat widgets) that could set their own cookies.
- No cross-site or behavioural tracking of any kind.
A small amount of information may be kept in your browser’s own local storage rather than a cookie – for example, remembering that you’ve already seen the cookie notice below, so we don’t show it every time. This never leaves your device, isn’t read by us, and isn’t used for tracking.
Other requests our pages make
When you search for a hotel, our server – not your browser – asks Google’s Places API for matching properties, so Google doesn’t see your IP address or set a cookie in your browser for this. If you click a labelled “compare alternatives” link, you leave WatchMyStay for Booking.com, which will then set its own cookies under its own cookie policy – we don’t control or receive those.
Managing or removing the cookie
You can delete tg_session at any time by signing out, or block/delete cookies entirely in your browser settings. Doing so simply signs you out – it doesn’t stop your hotel watches running, since those live on our server, not in your browser. Every major browser explains how under its own help pages (e.g. Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge “clear cookies and site data”).
Questions about this policy: hello@watchmystay.com. See also our privacy policy.