Privacy
What we hold, and what we don't
Last updated July 31, 2026
Draft
Canteen has not launched and this document has not been reviewed by counsel. It describes what the product is being built to do, accurately and in plain language, but it is not yet a binding agreement and should not be relied on as one.
The short version
Opening a bank account in the United States legally requires us to identify you. That is the reason for almost everything we ask. We collect what that takes and not much else, we do not sell any of it, and the two most sensitive things you give us are never stored on your phone.
What we ask for, and why
Federal law requires a financial institution to verify the identity of anyone opening an account. To do that we collect your name, date of birth, home address, Social Security number, email address and phone number.
Banks are also required to record what you do for work and roughly what you earn. If you are active duty we work both out from the pay grade you already told us, so most members confirm a figure rather than typing one.
We do not ask for a photograph of your ID. Many banking apps do. Our bank partner does not require one for this account, so we removed the step and the app no longer asks for camera access at all.
What never touches your phone
Your date of birth and Social Security number are passed to our bank partner and are not stored on your device. Your profile screen shows them as “On file”, and that is not a display choice hiding a stored value: the app genuinely does not have them. Reading an SSN back on a screen helps nobody except whoever is holding an unlocked phone.
Who else sees it
Canteen is not itself a bank. Banking services and the accounts themselves are provided by our bank partner, who performs the identity verification the law requires and holds the records that go with it. Your information goes to them for that purpose.
We also use a small number of service providers:
- Hosting and delivery for the app, the website and the backend.
- Email delivery, for verification codes and account notices.
- Privacy-preserving web analytics on the marketing site, which measures page views and load times and does not build a profile of you or follow you to other sites.
Each one only receives what it needs to do its job. We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it with advertisers.
Messages we send
Notices about your own money are part of having an account: a deposit landing, a Daily Pay draw, a security alert. Security alerts cannot be switched off, because a message telling you someone is signing in as you is not one you should be able to miss. Everything else has a switch in your profile.
Your choices
You can ask us what we hold on you, ask us to correct it, or ask us to close your account and delete what we are not legally required to keep. Financial records carry retention obligations we cannot waive, so some information survives account closure by law rather than by our preference. We will tell you plainly which is which.
Children
Canteen is for adults. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18.
Changes
If this changes in a way that affects you, we will tell you in the app rather than quietly updating the date at the top of this page.
Reaching us
Email support@gocanteen.us and a person will answer.