Legal
Privacy Statement
Last updated 6 June 2026
The Circle is private by design, and that extends to how we handle your information. This statement explains what we collect, why, and what you can ask us to do about it.
Not legal advice
This page is provided for information only and is not legal advice. It is a plain-English summary of how we operate, not a substitute for advice on your own circumstances. Where it conflicts with a signed agreement between us, that agreement prevails.
What we collect
Account information: your name, email address, and a password that is stored only as a one-way bcrypt hash. We never see or store your password in readable form.
Membership and billing information: your tier, status, and renewal date. Card details are entered directly with Stripe and are never held on our systems — we store only the customer and subscription references Stripe returns.
Application information: where you apply to Apex Guild, the details you submit on the form, including your city of residence, referral, interests, and statement.
Journey information: the dates, cultures, and practical requirements needed to arrange an experience, which may include dietary and accessibility needs you choose to share.
Why we use it
To provide and renew your membership, give you access to the Member Portal, and arrange the journeys you request.
To assess Apex Guild applications and to write back to you about them.
To share only what a host community needs in order to host you — typically a name and a headcount, plus any requirement that affects safety or protocol. We do not pass on billing information.
To meet our legal, accounting, and tax obligations.
Who we share it with
Stripe, for payment processing and billing management.
Host communities and their corporations or councils, limited to what is needed to host you.
Niiji Consulting Inc, where you ask us to arrange mobility counsel, and Travel Club Navigator, where you ask us to arrange a paired stay.
We do not sell your information, and we do not share it for advertising.
Retention and your rights
We keep account and journey records for as long as you are a member and for six years afterwards, where records are needed for accounting and liability purposes. Unsuccessful Apex applications are deleted within twelve months unless you ask us to keep them on file.
You may ask us for a copy of your information, ask us to correct it, ask us to delete it where we have no continuing obligation to keep it, or object to a particular use. Write to us and we will respond within thirty days.
We use only the cookies and local storage needed to keep you signed in and to remember your session. We do not run third-party advertising or tracking cookies on this site.
Contact
Privacy requests and questions: circle@thehorizoncircle.co