What are cookies?

A cookie is a small piece of text that websites send to the browser visits and allows the site to remember information about your visit, such as your preferred language and other options, which can facilitate your next visit and make the site will find most useful. The cookies have a very important role because without them the use of the web would be a much more frustrating experience.

Types of cookies:

First-party cookies

First-party cookies are set by the website, you are visiting and they can only be read by that site.

Third-party cookies

Third-party cookies are set by a different organisation to the owner of the website you are visiting. For example the website might use a third-party analytics company who will set their own cookie to perform this service. The website you are visiting may also contain content embedded from, for example, YouTube, and these sites may set their own cookies.

More significantly, a website might use a third-party advertising network to deliver targeted advertising on their website. These may also have the capability to track your browsing across different sites. It is important to note that advertising cookies are not set for visitors to the Money Advice Service website.

Session cookies

Session cookies are stored only temporarily during a browsing session and are deleted from the user’s device when the browser is closed.

Persistent cookies

This type of cookie is saved on your computer for a fixed period (usually a year or longer) and is not deleted when the browser is closed. Persistent cookies are used where we need to know who you are for more than one browsing session. For example we use this type of cookie to store your preferences, so that they are remembered for the next visit.

What types of cookies used this site?

We use our own cookies for technical purposes and third-party cookies for analytical purposes.