Terms of Service

These terms govern askplaya.com, an independent, English-language guide to everyday life in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, provided by Amy Branstetter (“Ask Playa,” “we”). By using the site or making a purchase, you agree to these terms. If you don't agree, please don't use the site.

We research and update our content carefully, but laws, prices, schedules, businesses and conditions change, and mistakes happen. Ask Playa is general information, not legal, medical, financial, tax or immigration advice. Check important details with the official source or a qualified professional before relying on them. If you spot something outdated, please tell us through Help Improve Ask Playa.

Maps, directions, weather, events and business details are provided for orientation only and may be incomplete or out of date. Always follow official instructions and local conditions.

Useful Spanish is free to use online, including search, phrases, translations, pronunciation audio and Show It Big. Translations and pronunciations are practical aids and may not suit every situation. They are not a substitute for a professional interpreter when accuracy is critical, such as in medical, legal or emergency situations.

You can optionally pay once to use Useful Spanish without an internet connection. The price is shown before you pay and is charged in Mexican pesos; your bank's conversion to your own currency may vary. It is a single payment, not a subscription. The purchase:

• unlocks offline access to Useful Spanish; the same content stays free online;
• works after you download Useful Spanish on your device while you're connected to the internet;
• works on one device or browser at a time;
• is saved in your browser, so clearing your browser's data, reinstalling or switching browsers or phones means restoring it.

To move your purchase to a new phone, browser or reinstalled app, tap “Restore Purchase” on the Useful Spanish Offline card and enter the email address you used at checkout. We email you a 6-digit code that expires after 15 minutes. Moving it is free. The previous device loses offline access the next time it connects to the internet; until then, what it already downloaded may keep working. Need help? Email hola@askplaya.com.

Buy Me a Drink is an optional, one-time contribution to support Ask Playa. It doesn't buy a product, unlock features or influence what we publish.

Payments are processed by Stripe on Stripe's secure checkout page. We never receive or store your card details. Stripe's own terms and privacy policy apply to the payment.

Useful Spanish offline access is a digital product. Purchases are generally final once Useful Spanish has been downloaded or accessed for offline use. Changing your mind after that doesn't automatically qualify for a refund. We will:

• refund duplicate or mistaken charges;
• help you if offline access can't be downloaded or doesn't work as described;
• refund your purchase if a genuine technical problem can't be resolved.

Buy Me a Drink contributions are voluntary and generally non-refundable. We will refund duplicate or mistaken charges.

To ask for a refund or report a payment problem, email hola@askplaya.com with the email address used at checkout. Approved refunds go back to your original payment method through Stripe. A refunded offline purchase is switched off on every device.

Nothing in these terms limits any refund, cancellation or other consumer right you have under the law that applies to you.

By sending corrections, tips or event details, you confirm you're allowed to share them, and you let us review, verify and use the facts to improve Ask Playa without payment. You keep ownership of what you wrote. We never publish your contact details, and sending a suggestion doesn't guarantee we'll use it.

Please don't:

• misuse the site, attempt to break or overload it, or get around its security or rate limits;
• scrape or copy large parts of the site, or use it to build a competing service;
• send spam, unlawful content or someone else's private information through our forms;
• share an offline purchase beyond the devices it allows.

Ask Playa's text, illustrations, audio and design belong to Ask Playa or are used with permission. You may share links and quote short passages with credit. Please don't republish our content without permission. Links to other websites are provided for convenience; we don't control those sites. Ask Playa doesn't use affiliate links.

We may change, pause or remove features at any time, and we can't promise the site will always be available or error-free. We may update these terms; the date above shows the latest version.

Ask Playa is provided “as is.” To the extent the law allows, we aren't responsible for losses that come from relying on the site's information, from third-party websites or services, or from temporary unavailability. Where the law doesn't allow these limits, they apply only as far as it permits. If any part of these terms can't be enforced, the rest still applies.

See our Privacy Policy for how we handle information.

Questions about these terms or a purchase? Email hola@askplaya.com.