Privacy Policy

1. Introduction and Scope

Madeira Rental Car, operating from Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data responsibly. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you use our website at madeirarentalcar.com, make a vehicle reservation, or contact our team, and how that information is used, stored, and protected.

This Policy applies to all users who visit our website, submit booking requests, or interact with our services - whether you are picking up a vehicle at Funchal Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport, arranging hotel delivery to the Zona Velha, or simply browsing rental options for a road trip through the island's mountain interior.

We operate in compliance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (the General Data Protection Regulation - GDPR), the Portuguese Data Protection Law (Lei n.o 58/2019), and all applicable legislation enforced by the Comissao Nacional de Protecao de Dados (CNPD).

2. Data Controller

The data controller responsible for your personal information is:

Madeira Rental Car
Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
Email: info@madeirarentalcar.com
Phone: +1 (966) 261-3435

For any questions regarding how your data is processed, you may contact us directly at the email address above. We aim to respond to all privacy-related enquiries within five working days.

3. Information We Collect

Depending on how you interact with our services, we may collect the following categories of personal data:

3.1 Personal Identification Data

When you make a reservation or create an account, we collect your full name, email address, phone number, date of birth, and driving licence details (including licence number, issuing country, and expiry date). This information is essential to verify your eligibility to rent a vehicle and to fulfil your booking agreement.

3.2 Booking and Rental Data

We collect information about your rental preferences and history, including pickup and drop-off locations (such as Funchal Airport, Savoy Hotel, or Pico do Arieiro viewpoint area), rental dates and duration, chosen vehicle category, add-ons such as child seats or GPS units, and any special requests submitted during checkout.

3.3 Payment Information

We do not store your full payment card details on our servers. Payment transactions are processed securely through third-party payment processors who comply with PCI DSS standards. We may retain a reference transaction number and partial card details (last four digits) solely for the purpose of managing refunds, disputes, or deposit releases.

3.4 Browsing and Technical Data

When you visit madeirarentalcar.com, we may automatically collect technical data including your IP address, browser type and version, operating system, referring URL, pages visited, time spent on site, and device identifiers. This data is collected using cookies and similar tracking technologies described further in Section 8 of this Policy.

3.5 Location Data

With your explicit consent, we may collect approximate location data through your device to assist with features such as finding your nearest pickup point in Funchal or calculating delivery routes. You may withdraw this consent at any time through your browser or device settings.

4. How We Use Your Data

Your personal data is used only for legitimate and clearly defined purposes. Specifically, we use your information to:

• Process and confirm your vehicle reservation, including sending booking confirmations and reminders;
• Verify your identity and driving licence eligibility in accordance with Portuguese road traffic legislation;
• Coordinate vehicle delivery to your location in Funchal or at the airport, and arrange return logistics;
• Provide customer support before, during, and after your rental period;
• Process payments, deposits, and refunds through our payment partners;
• Manage insurance documentation and liaise with coverage providers on your behalf;
• Improve the functionality and content of madeirarentalcar.com based on aggregate usage data;
• Send marketing communications about seasonal deals, price drops, and new fleet additions - but only where you have given explicit consent to receive such messages;
• Comply with our legal obligations under Portuguese and EU law, including tax records and regulatory reporting requirements.

We do not use your personal data for automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects without your consent.

5. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data under the following legal bases as defined in Article 6 of the GDPR:

• Contractual necessity: Processing required to fulfil the car rental agreement you enter into with us;
• Legal obligation: Processing required to comply with Portuguese and EU legal requirements;
• Legitimate interests: Processing necessary for our legitimate business interests, such as fraud prevention and service improvement, where these are not overridden by your rights;
• Consent: Processing for marketing communications and non-essential cookies, which you may withdraw at any time.

6. Data Sharing and Third Parties

We share your personal data only with trusted partners who require it to deliver services on our behalf. We do not sell your personal data to any third party. Data sharing occurs with the following categories of recipients:

6.1 Payment Processors

Your billing information is shared with our payment gateway partners to process rental charges, security deposits, and refunds. These processors are contractually bound to handle your data securely and in compliance with applicable data protection law.

6.2 Insurance Providers

Where you select optional or mandatory insurance coverage as part of your car hire booking, relevant personal and booking data is shared with our partner insurance underwriters to validate and activate your policy during the rental period.

6.3 Booking Platform Integrators

Our website may integrate with booking aggregator platforms to display availability and process reservations. These integrators receive only the data necessary to complete the transaction and are subject to their own GDPR-compliant privacy policies.

6.4 Legal and Regulatory Authorities

We may disclose your information to Portuguese authorities, including the CNPD or law enforcement agencies, where required by law or in response to a lawful request, court order, or to protect the safety and rights of third parties.

6.5 International Transfers

Where any service provider is located outside the European Economic Area, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission, before transferring your data internationally.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this Policy or as required by applicable law. Our standard retention periods are as follows:

• Booking and rental records: Retained for seven years from the date of rental in compliance with Portuguese fiscal and commercial law (Codigo Comercial and relevant tax regulations);
• Customer account data: Retained for the duration of your active account relationship, plus two years following account closure;
• Marketing consent records: Retained until you withdraw consent or for three years following your last interaction with our marketing communications;
• Browsing and technical data: Retained for up to thirteen months, consistent with standard analytics data retention practices;
• Payment transaction records: Retained for the period required by our payment processors and financial compliance obligations.

When data is no longer required, it is securely deleted or anonymised so that it can no longer be linked to you as an individual.

8. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to improve your browsing experience and analyse site traffic. Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit madeirarentalcar.com. We use the following types of cookies:

• Strictly necessary cookies: Required for the website to function correctly, including session management and security features. These cannot be disabled;
• Analytics cookies: Used to understand how visitors interact with our site, which pages are most popular, and how the booking process can be improved. These are only set with your consent;
• Marketing cookies: Used to deliver relevant advertisements and track the effectiveness of our campaigns. These are only activated with your explicit consent.

You can manage your cookie preferences at any time through the consent banner displayed when you first visit the site, or through your browser settings. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our booking system.

9. Your Rights Under GDPR

As a data subject under EU law, you have the following rights with respect to your personal data held by Madeira Rental Car:

• Right of access: You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you, free of charge, within thirty days of your request;
• Right to rectification: You may request that inaccurate or incomplete personal data is corrected without undue delay;
• Right to erasure: You may request deletion of your personal data where it is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, subject to legal retention obligations;
• Right to data portability: You may request that your data be provided to you or transferred to another controller in a structured, machine-readable format;
• Right to object: You may object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes at any time;
• Right to restrict processing: You may request that we limit the processing of your data in certain circumstances, such as while a dispute is being resolved;
• Right to withdraw consent: Where processing is based on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@madeirarentalcar.com. We will respond within thirty days. If you believe your rights have been infringed, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Comissao Nacional de Protecao de Dados (CNPD) at www.cnpd.pt.

10. Data Security

We take the security of your personal data seriously and implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it against unauthorised access, accidental loss, alteration, or disclosure. These measures include:

• Encryption of data in transit using TLS (Transport Layer Security) protocols across all pages of madeirarentalcar.com;
• Restricted access controls ensuring that only authorised personnel who require your data to perform their role can access it;
• Regular security assessments and vulnerability testing of our website infrastructure;
• Contractual data processing agreements with all third-party partners who handle personal data on our behalf.

In the event of a data breach that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify the relevant supervisory authority within seventy-two hours and inform you directly where the risk is assessed as high.

11. Children's Privacy

Our vehicle rental services are intended for adults aged 21 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under the age of 16. If you believe a minor has submitted personal information through our site, please contact us immediately so that we can delete the relevant data.

12. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our data practices, applicable law, or the services we offer. When we make material changes, we will update the effective date at the bottom of this page and, where appropriate, notify registered customers by email. We encourage you to review this Policy whenever you use our services to stay informed about how we protect your information.

Continued use of madeirarentalcar.com following the publication of an updated Policy constitutes your acceptance of the revised terms.

13. Contact Us About Privacy

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your data subject rights, or have a concern about how your information is handled when you rent a car in Funchal with us, please reach out:

Madeira Rental Car - Privacy Enquiries
Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
Email: info@madeirarentalcar.com
Phone: +1 (966) 261-3435

We are happy to assist and aim to resolve all privacy concerns promptly and transparently.

Effective date: 1 January 2024. Last reviewed: 1 January 2024.