# How do they know my email address? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 26, 2019, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-know-my-email-address/834571 "2019-05-26T21:12:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2019, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-know-my-email-address/834571/1 "2019-05-26T21:12:19Z")
For the second time in a week, I have received email receipts after making purchases at brick and mortar shops. Thing is, I never gave them my email address. I find this a bit disconcerting. Is this the ‘new normal?’ ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2019, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-know-my-email-address/834571/2 "2019-05-26T21:41:37Z")
Ditto for this question. I bought lunch at a new place, ran my card through their tablet, and got an email receipt without entering my email address. They used Square, which my wife uses for selling her books, and as a test I did run my card through her Square reader once. Maybe that’s it? ---
**Author:** ![Palooka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/palooka/32/2902_2.png) [@Palooka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palooka)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2019, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-know-my-email-address/834571/3 "2019-05-26T21:41:56Z")
Have you ever gotten an email receipt? Your probably on file from another transaction. ---
**Author:** ![Cleophus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e57/32.png) [@Cleophus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cleophus)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2019, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-know-my-email-address/834571/4 "2019-05-26T21:43:10Z")
Are they using Square to accept payments? One of Square’s options is to send receipts via email that you associated with a payment card without revealing the address to the merchants. Your bank may also send transaction notifications. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2019, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-know-my-email-address/834571/5 "2019-05-26T22:07:47Z")
Same thing happened to me at a restaurant that I have NEVER eaten at before. I paid in cash. I did not, nor never have looked up the restaurant on my phone or PC. Very, very weird. Yet they wanted a review. In hindsight, it was not an email or text, but did show up as a notification on my phone (which are always emails or texts, I cleared the notifications, and that was that). It’s happened at other places too. I’ll give them a review all right. Leave me the hell alone. Wait. I bet my phone automatically connected to their Wifi. And that was the ‘notification’, or sign in. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2019, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-know-my-email-address/834571/6 "2019-05-26T22:16:52Z")
Yes Square keeps your email address with your credit card number so you don’t have to give the email every time. ---
**Author:** ![Palooka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/palooka/32/2902_2.png) [@Palooka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palooka)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2019, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-know-my-email-address/834571/7 "2019-05-26T22:20:54Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Same thing happened to me at a restaurant that I have NEVER eaten at before. I paid in cash. I did not, nor never have looked up the restaurant on my phone or PC. Very, very weird. > > Yet they wanted a review. > > In hindsight, it was not an email or text, but did show up as a notification on my phone (which are always emails or texts, I cleared the notifications, and that was that). > > It’s happened at other places too. I’ll give them a review all right. Leave me the hell alone. > > Wait. I bet my phone automatically connected to their Wifi. And that was the ‘notification’, or sign in. This is a Google Maps thing. You need to disable it within the app. The restaurants aren’t involved. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2019, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-know-my-email-address/834571/8 "2019-05-26T22:45:54Z")
> [@Palooka](#): > > This is a Google Maps thing. You need to disable it within the app. The restaurants aren’t involved. While I do use Google Maps, I never searched for the restaurant in question. The notification asked me specifically how I liked my meal. Is Google Maps figuring out that since I was at a certain location for 40 minutes that it’s sending me a request to review said location? ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2019, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-know-my-email-address/834571/9 "2019-05-26T22:52:20Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > While I do use Google Maps, I never searched for the restaurant in question. The notification asked me specifically how I liked my meal. > > Is Google Maps figuring out that since I was at a certain location for 40 minutes that it’s sending me a request to review said location? Yes. > **[Google tracks and records your movements even if you turn off Location History](https://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-google-location-tracking-20180813-story.html)** > > Google wants to know where you go so badly that it records your movements even when you explicitly tell it not to. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2019, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-know-my-email-address/834571/10 "2019-05-26T22:59:48Z")
> [@TSBG](#): > > Yes. > > [Google tracks and records your movements even if you turn off Location History](https://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-google-location-tracking-20180813-story.html) Allrighty then. Huh. And that’s all I have to say about that. For now. ---
**Author:** ![busterpickle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@busterpickle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/busterpickle)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2019, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-know-my-email-address/834571/11 "2019-05-27T01:13:38Z")
And for even for spooky… https[:][//www.vice.com/en\_au/article/wjbzzy/your-phone-is-listening-and-its-not-paranoia](https://www.vice.com/en_au/article/wjbzzy/your-phone-is-listening-and-its-not-paranoia) ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2019, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-know-my-email-address/834571/12 "2019-05-27T02:23:36Z")
Well I don’t have a “smart” phone, so that’s not it. Is my email address associated with my credit card? ---
**Author:** ![Cleophus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e57/32.png) [@Cleophus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cleophus)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2019, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-know-my-email-address/834571/13 "2019-05-27T02:42:36Z")
> [@jaycat](#): > > Well I don’t have a “smart” phone, so that’s not it. Is my email address associated with my credit card? > [@Cleophus](#): > > Are they using Square to accept payments? One of Square’s options is to send receipts via email that you associated with a payment card without revealing the address to the merchants. Your bank may also send transaction notifications. Did the shop you went to use Square for payment and/or does the receipt you got indicate it was from a Square-using merchant? Did you or your wife, at some point in the past, visit another Square-using merchant and opt in to an email receipt? ---
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2019, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-know-my-email-address/834571/14 "2019-05-27T04:08:51Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Ditto for this question. I bought lunch at a new place, ran my card through their tablet, and got an email receipt without entering my email address. > > They used Square, which my wife uses for selling her books, and as a test I did run my card through her Square reader once. Maybe that’s it? Square has a “policy” of sending you receipts by e-mail on behalf of _all_ Square merchants you do business with, as soon as you give your address to _any single one_ of them. See [this recent article](https://www.wired.com/story/rants-and-raves-square-emails/) on Wired (site is paywalled). ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2019, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-know-my-email-address/834571/15 "2019-05-27T13:29:50Z")
> [@Cleophus](#): > > Did the shop you went to use Square for payment and/or does the receipt you got indicate it was from a Square-using merchant? > > Did you or your wife, at some point in the past, visit another Square-using merchant and opt in to an email receipt? I guess that must be it. Not sure why you think I’m married, however. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2019, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-know-my-email-address/834571/16 "2019-05-27T13:45:49Z")
> [@jaycat](#): > > For the second time in a week, I have received email receipts after making purchases at brick and mortar shops. Thing is, I never gave them my email address. I find this a bit disconcerting. Is this the ‘new normal?’ Yes. This has been going on since I want to say at least the early 2010s (my earliest Square receipt appears to be from 2011, and I noticed not long after that receiving an emailed receipt from a brick-and-mortar merchant – I believe it was a coffeehouse or something similar – when I had never given them my email address, so I figured, hey, I guess Square has it on file, works for me), but you’re probably only seeing it now because Square and associated point-of-sale services are becoming more and more common. ---
**Author:** ![Raza](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raza/32/213_2.png) [@Raza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raza)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2019, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-know-my-email-address/834571/17 "2019-05-27T23:15:53Z")
A couple of weeks ago I dined at a Square-using restaurant (Taziki’s, a chain) and not only did I get an email - I also got a text message - **as did my wife**! We have separate Apple IDs, and she did not dine with me. This is very scary. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2019, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-know-my-email-address/834571/20 "2019-05-28T11:51:39Z")
> [@jaycat](#): > > I guess that must be it. Not sure why you think I’m married, however. The slumped shoulders are a giveaway. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2019, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-know-my-email-address/834571/21 "2019-05-28T15:44:12Z")
> [@Heracles](#): > > Square has a “policy” of sending you receipts by e-mail on behalf of _all_ Square merchants you do business with, as soon as you give your address to _any single one_ of them. See [this recent article](https://www.wired.com/story/rants-and-raves-square-emails/) on Wired (site is paywalled). It’s annoying too because once Square has the email it just sends the email receipts without asking the merchant, or giving the merchant/customer a chance to view or correct the email address. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2019, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-know-my-email-address/834571/22 "2019-05-28T16:07:50Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Yes Square keeps your email address with your credit card number so you don’t have to give the email every time. Since I generally want a receipt, and I don’t necessarily want to give my email to every merchant, I find this a great service. I’m a little surprised so many of you are disconcerted by it. > [@control-z](#): > > It’s annoying too because once Square has the email it just sends the email receipts without asking the merchant, or giving the merchant/customer a chance to view or correct the email address. Is the issue that you want to change your email address in Square? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-know-my-email-address/834571.md?page=2)