Privacy Policy and Refunds
Last updated: October 5, 2026
Perfect Summary ("we", "us") publishes summaries of podcasts and books at perfectsummary.com, and sells digital guides, private summaries and related services. This page explains what information we collect, why, and what you can do about it. It also sets out our refund policy.
The short version
- You can read, listen to and watch the library without an account, and we don't track you while you do.
- If you create an account, buy something or subscribe by email, we keep only what we need to provide that service.
- We never sell your personal information.
- Anything you send us to summarize privately stays private. It is never published.
- Digital products (mini guide books, cheat sheets, flashcards and bundles) are non-refundable. The details are below.
What we collect
When you just browse. We count how many times each page is viewed per day. That count isn't linked to you: we don't store your IP address or use analytics cookies, advertising trackers or third-party analytics.
When you create an account. Your email address and a securely hashed password (we can't see your password). If you sign in, a cookie keeps you signed in.
When you buy something. Payments are handled by Stripe. We never see or store your card number. Stripe tells us what you bought, the amount and your email address, and we keep a record of the order so your purchases stay in your library.
When you ask for a private summary. The links, documents or text you submit, and the summaries, audio and video we make from them, are stored privately under your account. They are never published on the site, in our podcast feed or on YouTube. You can download them any time.
When you read and study what you bought. We keep the place you reached in a book and your progress through its flashcards, so you can pick up where you left off on any device.
When you subscribe by email. Your email address and the topics or podcasts you chose. Every email has a one-click unsubscribe link.
When you contact us. Your name, email address and message, so we can reply.
How your information is used
- To run your account, deliver what you bought and process private summary requests.
- To send the emails you asked for: receipts, finished summaries, password resets and subscriptions.
- To answer your messages.
- To keep the service secure and working, for example by preventing abuse of free credits.
We don't use your information for advertising, and we don't sell or rent it to anyone.
Services that process information for us
To make summaries, the content of a podcast episode, article or document is sent to AI providers (for example Anthropic for writing summaries) and processed on our own servers for transcription and narration. We also use Stripe for payments, an email provider to deliver email, and cloud storage (Cloudflare) for audio, video and files. These providers process information only to provide their service to us.
YouTube
Some pages show videos hosted on YouTube. When you play one, YouTube (a Google service) may collect information as described in the Google Privacy Policy. We don't receive that information.
We use YouTube API Services to publish our own videos to our own YouTube channel, with an internal tool that only Perfect Summary operates. You are never asked to sign in with Google or YouTube on this site, and we don't access, collect or store YouTube data belonging to visitors. The only YouTube account connected to that tool is our own channel; its authorization is stored encrypted, shared with no one, and used only to upload our videos, set their thumbnails, manage our playlists and update their descriptions.
Access granted to an application through a Google account can be revoked at any time from the Google security settings. When our tool's access is revoked or the channel is disconnected, the stored authorization is deleted. To ask about any information we hold, or to have it deleted, use the contact page.
Cookies
We use only the cookies the site needs to work: one that keeps you signed in and one that protects forms from forgery. Your light or dark theme choice is saved in your own browser. There are no advertising or analytics cookies.
Affiliate links
Some summaries list books and products that were mentioned in the episode. Links to Amazon may be affiliate links: if you buy through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Amazon handles those purchases under its own privacy policy.
How long we keep information
We keep account information and private summaries while your account is open. Order records are kept as long as tax and accounting rules require. Contact messages are kept for up to two years.
Closing your account. You can close your account from your account page at any time. It is deactivated right away: you can no longer sign in, any paid subscription is cancelled, and your private summaries are no longer available. Our email list is separate from your account: if you signed up for our emails, you stay on the list until you unsubscribe (every email has a link to do so). We keep the account record and its order and usage history for up to seven years for fraud prevention, accounting and legal reasons. If you sign up again with the same email address, we may link the new account to the earlier one (for example, so free credits aren't claimed twice).
Your choices and rights
You can ask us at any time to see, correct or export the personal information we hold about you, or to delete it entirely; we will then delete everything the law does not require us to keep. Use the contact page and we'll reply within 30 days. Depending on where you live (for example in the EU, the UK or California), you may have additional rights under local law, and you can complain to your data protection authority.
Children
Perfect Summary is not directed at children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect their information. If you believe a child has given us personal information, contact us and we'll delete it.
Purchases and refunds
Digital products are non-refundable. Mini guide books, cheat sheets, flashcards and bundles are yours to read and study in your library immediately after purchase. Because something that has been opened can't be returned, all sales of digital products are final. Each product page describes what's included, so please read it before you buy.
We will make it right if something went wrong on our side:
- Charged twice for the same product: we refund the duplicate.
- Something you bought won't open in your library: we fix it, and refund you if we can't.
Private summaries, credits and subscriptions are handled under the terms shown when you buy them. You can cancel a subscription at any time, and it stays active until the end of the period you've paid for.
To report a problem with a purchase, use the contact page and include your order email.
The rules for using the site are in our terms of service.
Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we'll update the date at the top. If a change affects how we use information you've already given us, we'll tell you by email before it takes effect.
Contact
Questions about privacy or a purchase? Reach us through the contact page.