Last updated: September 20, 2026
This policy explains every cookie and similar storage technology that American Auto Listings uses on americanautolistings.com and in our mobile app, what each one does, and how you can control them. The short version:
You can change your choices any time at Cookie Settings.
Cookies are small text files a website stores in your browser to remember something between pages or visits. Browsers offer two related mechanisms we also list here because we treat them the same way: localStorage (persists until deleted) and sessionStorage (erased when the tab closes). Neither is sent to our servers automatically; scripts on the page read them.
These make the site's core functions — signing in, staying signed in, paying — possible. They are set only in response to actions you take and cannot be switched off, because the features they power would simply stop working.
| Name | Set by | Purpose | Lasts |
|---|---|---|---|
token |
Us, when you sign in | Proves who you are on every page. Signed and tamper-proof; without it you are signed out. | 1 hour from sign-in (up to 24 hours after certain account changes refresh it) |
ld |
Us, when you sign in | Remembers that this browser has signed in to your account before, so a stranger guessing passwords from somewhere else cannot lock you out of your own sign-in attempts. It is used for nothing else: it carries no account details and never signs you in on its own. | 180 days |
connect.sid |
Us | A short-lived session used for status messages ("Listing saved"), returning you to the page you were on after sign-in, and carrying multi-step forms (like the listing wizard) between pages. | 1 day |
aal_consent |
Us, when you make a cookie choice | Remembers the cookie preferences you picked, so we don't ask on every page. | 1 year |
__stripe_mid, __stripe_sid, and cookies on m.stripe.com |
Stripe, our payment processor — only on checkout pages | Fraud prevention while you pay. Stripe's script loads exclusively on our two payment pages, never elsewhere on the site. See Stripe's privacy policy. | __stripe_mid ~1 year; __stripe_sid ~30 minutes; m ~2 years |
These remember choices you've made so you don't repeat them. The site works fine without them — it just asks again. You can turn this whole category off at Cookie Settings, which also deletes anything already stored.
| Name | Type | Purpose | Lasts |
|---|---|---|---|
userLat, userLng, userLocation |
Cookies | Your search location — the precise coordinates your browser shared when you allowed it on your first visit, or the ZIP code or town you typed — so listings can be sorted by distance on your next visit without re-entering it. Coordinates are sent to Google Maps once to turn them into a ZIP code or town label. | 30 days |
userLat, userLng, userLocationLabel |
localStorage | Browser-side copy of the same location preference, used to fill the location box between pages. | Until deleted |
aal-theme |
localStorage | Your light/dark theme choice. | Until deleted |
dashCollapsedSections |
localStorage | Which dashboard sections you've collapsed (signed-in users). | Until deleted |
nlSidebarCollapsed |
localStorage | Community newsletter sidebar open/closed state. | Until deleted |
previousPage |
localStorage | The last page you viewed, so "back" links return you to the right place. | Until deleted |
Two short-lived items exist purely to complete an action you started, so we class them as
necessary: bt_results_url (sessionStorage; returns you to your exact search results
from a listing page) and editListing:removed:… (sessionStorage, 10-minute window;
remembers which existing photos you marked for removal, so a failed save doesn't lose those
marks). Both vanish when the tab closes.
Listing, sold-listing, and dealership pages can show an embedded Google Maps preview of a
vehicle's or dealership's location. That map is loaded from Google's servers, and when it loads,
Google may set its own cookies in your browser (such as NID,
AEC, and SOCS, lasting roughly 6–13 months) under
Google's privacy policy.
If you turn embedded maps off at Cookie Settings, those pages show a "Show map" button instead, and each map loads only when you tap it. Nothing from Google loads until then. Apart from Stripe's secure payment frame on checkout pages (section 2), this is the only other third-party embedded content on the site.
For completeness: our pages also load fonts from Google Fonts. Google serves those files without cookies of any kind, so they need no toggle — but seeing the request in your browser's developer tools shouldn't be a surprise.
The American Auto Listings app doesn't use browser cookies for regular browsing. It stores three
things on your device: your sign-in token (jwt_token, until you sign out), your
theme choice (aal-theme), and your saved search location (user_location).
When you pay inside the app, the payment screen is a secure web page running Stripe's checkout,
and Stripe sets the same fraud-prevention cookies described in section 2 within that screen only.
If we add a cookie or change what one does, we'll update this page and, for material changes, show the cookie notice again. Questions? Contact us at support@americanautolistings.com or through the contact page.