Your data belongs to you, not the app

One of the things we think about most when building Luma is this: what happens to your data if you stop using the app?

It might seem like an odd question to ask about your own service. But we think it is exactly the kind of question you should ask. And the answer should always be: you take it with you.

Your data is yours

Your transaction history, the categories you have set up, the amounts you have spent month after month: none of this belongs to Luma. It is information about your life. We collect it, organise it, and make it useful for you. But it belongs to you.

Article 20 of the GDPR establishes the right to data portability: you have the right to receive personal data you have provided to a service in a machine-readable format and take it elsewhere. Datatilsynet (the Norwegian Data Protection Authority) calls this one of the fundamental rights of data subjects. In practice, it means you can ask a service to give you your data. The good news is that you should not need to ask. It should just work.

Three misconceptions about data export

Myth: "I can always retrieve my data later."

Fact: In theory, yes. In practice, it is not always so simple. Some apps offer export only in proprietary formats that are of little use outside the app, or bury the feature deep in settings. When you decide to switch services or take a backup, you would rather not spend half an afternoon figuring it out.

Myth: "My data is safe in the app, so I do not need a local copy."

Fact: Apps disappear. Companies change their business models, services shut down, prices change. Keeping a local copy of your budgeting history is not paranoia; it is sensible data hygiene. Just as you back up important documents, you should back up a financial history you have built over months.

Myth: "Data export is for technical people."

Fact: A CSV file is nothing more than a text file with columns. You can open it in Excel, Google Sheets, or any spreadsheet application and see all your transactions in a table. Many people use exported data for a simple annual summary or to cross-check figures against their skattemeldingen (tax return).

What Luma does

From Luma, you can export your transactions as a CSV directly from the account overview. It is not behind a paywall, it does not require a support request, and it is not hidden in a submenu you will never find.

We chose the standard CSV format because it opens your data to any tool you want to use next. That means you are not locked into Luma to work with your own financial history.

Why we are open about this

People sometimes ask whether we worry that easy export makes it easier to leave the service. It is a fair observation. The answer is no. We do not believe the right way to retain users is to make it hard to leave. The right way is to build a product good enough that people want to stay.

Transparency about data handling is not just a legal requirement for us; it is something we genuinely believe in. Luma handles sensitive information about what you spend money on, how much you earn, and what you prioritise. You should always know that you can take that information and go.

A practical tip

Set a twice-yearly reminder to export your budgeting data. It takes three minutes, and you will have a local backup of your entire transaction history. Save the file somewhere safe, for example in an encrypted folder or in cloud storage you control yourself.

The next time you want to look back over a whole year of spending, or check something against your skattemeldingen, the numbers will be ready and accessible no matter which app you use.