Cookie Policy

Advisory Insurance Brokers Limited (‘Towergate’) along with its subsidiary companies uses cookies on its websites to provide you with the best experience when browsing our content.


What are cookies?

Cookies are text files containing small amounts of information which are stored on your device when you visit a website. Cookies are read by the originating website on each subsequent visit, or by another website that recognises the cookie.

The purpose of cookies is to make websites work most effectively for you as the user, by allowing website functionality and providing information to the website’s owners. Examples of website cookie use include:

  • Keeping items in a shopping basket when you are browsing an online store
  • Storing logins for your online account details
  • Storing website information preferences (e.g. your location)


What types of cookies are there?

Cookies can be broken down into two main types: first-party and third-party.

  • A cookie is first-party if set by the website (domain) being visited.
  • A cookie is classed as third-party if it is issued by a different website (domain) to that being visited.

Each cookie will be either a persistent cookie or a session cookie.

  • Persistent cookies remain on a user’s device for the period of time specified in the cookie (which may be after the browser has been closed).
  • Session cookies allow website operators to link the actions of a user during a browser session. A browser session starts when a user opens the browser window and finishes when they close the browser window. Once you close the browser, all session cookies are deleted.

Cookies can also be broken down into categories, according to their purpose. The cookies that are used on Towergate websites are based on the International Chamber of Commerce guide for cookie categories:

  • Category 1: Strictly necessary cookies - These cookies enable services you have specifically asked for.
  • Category 2: Functionality cookies - These cookies remember choices you make to improve your experience.
  • Category 3: Performance cookies - These cookies collect anonymous information on the pages visited
  • Category 4: Targeting cookies or advertising cookies - These cookies collect information about your browsing habits in order to make advertising relevant to you and your interests.
  • Category 5: Other


Cookies used on towergatereferrals.co.uk, by category

1. Strictly necessary cookies

Name Description Duration Set by
ASP.NET_SessionId Session cookie   First-party
_dc_gtm_UA-54392720-1 This cookie is associated with sites using Google Tag Manager to load other scripts and code into a page. Where it is used it may be regarded as Strictly Necessary as without it, other scripts may not function correctly. The end of the name is a unique number which is also an identifier for an associated Google Analytics account. 1 minute First-party


2. Functionality cookies

Name Description Duration Set by
gwcc This cookie is set by Google Website Call Conversion. The cookie is used to track any call conversions on mobile devices. 2 months

First-party

wisewords This cookie acts as a counter for Feefo comments that allows them to be rotated. It stores a number that is incremented to show different comments at different times.1 month First-party) 1 month

First-party

IR_gbd Persistent affiliate tracking cookies. 1 year First-party
IR_10498 Persistent affiliate tracking cookies. 1 year First-party
IR_PI Persistent affiliate tracking cookies. 1 year First-party
AWSALBCORS   1 week Third-party
brwsr     Third-party
AWSALB AWSALB is a cookie generated by the Application load balancer in the Amazon Web Services. It works slightly different from AWSELB.   Third-party
WCXSID_expiry 1 year   Third-party


3. Performance cookies

Name Description Duration Set by
_vwo_uuid_v2 This cookie is set by Visual Website Optimiser and is used to measure the performance of different versions of web pages 1 year First-party
_gcl_au This cookie is used by Google Analytics to understand user interaction with the website. 2 months First-party
_ga This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors. 2 years First-party
_gid This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the website is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages visited in an anonymous form. 1 day First-party
com.silverpop.iMAWebCookie This cookie is installed by IBM Silverpop. 2 years First-party
com.silverpop.iMA.session This cookie is installed by IBM Silverpop to track customer interactions on the site. 20 minutes First-party
com.silverpop.iMA.page_visit This cookie is installed by IBM Silverpop to determine repeat visits. 20 minutes First-party


4. Targeting cookies or advertising cookies

Name Description Duration Set by
IDE Used by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile. 1 year First-party
MUID Used by Microsoft as a unique identifier. The cookie is set by embedded Microsoft scripts. The purpose of this cookie is to synchronize the ID across many different Microsoft domains to enable user tracking. 1 year First-party
_fbp This cookie is set by Facebook to deliver advertisement when they are on Facebook or a digital platform powered by Facebook advertising after visiting this website. 2 months First-party
fr The cookie is set by Facebook to show relevant advertisements to the users and measure and improve the advertisements. The cookie also tracks the behaviour of the user across the web on sites that have Facebook pixel or Facebook social plugin. 2 months First-party
TS01b86911     Third-party

 


Why should I use cookies?

When you visit a Towergate website, we download a “cookie” to your computer. A cookie identifies your computer (by what is known as an IP address) to our server.

We use cookies to improve your browsing experience on Towergate websites. They allow you to browse our webpages and use all functionality, and see content that is more relevant to you. It also helps present the content most appropriately for the type of device you are using.

Cookies on Towergate websites collect information about how you are accessing and browsing them, such as the device and browser you are using and the IP address your device is accessing the internet from. The cookie enables us to retain your profile as you navigate our website, and prevents the need to re-collect information about you or your desired purchases.

Disabling session cookies will affect the performance and functionality of the website and disabling other cookies may also have an adverse impact on functionality.

What third-party cookies do you use?

If you use social media channels including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Google+ and Instagram these websites will use cookies to let you login to your account and share content from our websites with other users of the channels. We also use third-party cookies from third parties including Bing, DoubleClick, Google Analytics, Compliance, LivePerson, Feefo, Hotjar, Visual Website Optimiser, Silverpop and Google Lead Services.

These cookies do not allow us access to your accounts or provide us with any confidential information relating to your accounts. They do allow us to provide you with appropriate marketing ads via these social media channels.

Anonymous and pseudonymous cookie data

Most data stored by cookies placed by Towergate websites is anonymous, but there may be some occasions when, in order to provide the best website functionality, information is recorded in cookies that relate to you. This ‘pseudonymous’ information, however, is stored separately and securely on our systems, so that the data cannot be attributed to you.

We believe in protecting the personal information that you provide us with: see our fair processing notice for more information.


How do I accept cookies?

When you first visit one of our websites, you will see a message saying that we use cookies to improve your experience and some have already been set. This setting is designed to provide the best performance and functionality of our websites, in order to offer the best experience to you as the user.

If you are happy with this, you need not do anything.

Should you not wish to accept cookies, or change your mind at any point, read the section below on turning off your cookies.


How do I manage cookies?

If you do not wish to have cookies stored when you visit Towergate’s websites, you can adjust the settings of the browser you are setting.

Please note, however, that if you turn off your cookies it may make browsing Towergate’s websites much slower, and will affect performance and functionality. In particular, you will not be able to purchase products or request quotes online as the functionality for these require cookies that fall under the ‘strictly necessary’ cookies.

Guides on how to manage cookies for common browsers are linked below:

Read more about cookies or about online behavioural advertising.