Can I delete my transaction history in online banking or apps?
You can't delete your transaction history. Use cash, gift cards or start a separate account if you want to keep a purchase private (hey, no judgement here!).
Key takeaways
- You can't delete the transactions on your bank or credit card statements. There's always a record.
- Most banking apps will let you hide or recategorise things like money transfers between accounts to help with budget tracking. But you can't delete the transaction.
- If privacy is a concern, you could set up a separate card or bank account that's just for you, use cash or a gift card.
Tips to keep your transactions private
- Set up a separate account. If you have a joint account and there are some transactions you just don't want anyone else to know about, get a separate account with a debit card or credit card to keep all the information private. Some banks let you hide a new account from your existing online banking account.
- Use cash. This may seem obvious, but it's effective. Next time you want to hide a purchase, pay with cash instead for traceless anonymity.
- Use a gift card or prepaid card. If you buy a gift card, only that purchase will show up on your regular statement. So any transaction you make with the gift card will be completely private. You can buy a mix of gift cards from major stores, including Coles and Woolworths, with different brands and ways to spend them.
- Opt out of paper statements. If you’re still getting paper statements, contact your bank or provider and ask them to switch to electronic statements instead. You'll then get statements via email and through online banking – so if your account details are safe, your transactions will be private.
Video: how to keep your credit card purchases private
2:04
Now, a lot of you sneaky people are
trying to hide your credit card
transactions. We know this because it's
one of our most popular credit cards
guides on Finder. A lot of Australians
want to know if they can delete or hide
some purchases on their credit card or
online banking apps. And the short
answer is no, you can't. It's all out
there. finder.com.au,
but I can give you some tips to help you
keep your future purchases a little bit
more discreet. Now, I'm not here to
judge, although maybe I'll judge just a
little bit, but I'm hoping that you'll
be using these tips just as a way to be
more discreet in your spending for good
reasons, like buying your partner a
surprise gift. Unfortunately, 27% of
Australians tell Finder in our surveys
that they are hiding a money secret from
their partner. This includes gambling
activities, debts, or opening a secret
bank account. But as a tip, that last
one is actually pretty good. It's really
easy to open a new bank account, and
most bank accounts won't don't charge
any fees and make it really easy to put
a little bit of money there to spend as
you need it. This could be a good way to
keep some purchases private. Now, of
course, the obvious way is to use cash.
But if you're shopping online, another
way to purchase things discreetly is by
using a prepaid gift card. Now, buying
the gift card itself will show up on
your transaction history. So, that could
raise some unwanted questions. And
lastly, another option is to open a
credit card with you as the primary
account holder and your partner as the
additional card holder. Many banks and
credit card companies basically let the
primary account holder see everyone's
spending, but the additional card holder
often can only see their own spending.
Now, how you choose to use this
information is up to you. But if you
want to get a new credit card or open a
new bank account, you can compare all
your options right now at Finder.
What about PayPal?
PayPal can give you some degree of privacy for your account statements, because the details will show "PayPal" as the first part of the description. But the merchant's name is also usually included, so you won't always get more privacy. Your PayPal account also shows the list of merchants you have made transactions with, so make sure you keep your PayPal password extra secure.
Hiding transactions on banking apps
Some banking and money apps may allow you to hide some transactions or accounts.
Some apps let you hide a savings account so you're not tempted to access it. Or you can exclude certain regular payments, like your mortgage repayments, from a spend tracker. This helps you track your spending more accurately.
But it's not hard to unhide or find those transactions. And the transaction history will still show them all.
Additional credit card holders
If you and your partner share a credit card, one of you will be the primary account holder. You'll be able to see all your spending, plus your partner's.
If you partner is the additional cardholder they might only be able to see their spending and not yours. Use this information how you see fit.
"My wife and I have a joint credit card. She's the primary cardholder, which means she can see all my spending and her spending on the app. But I can only see mine. If I buy something, she sees it. But I can't see when she does. I could probably even the scales by logging in with her details on my app instead of mine. But it doesn't really bother me! We're very open about our finances and if I need to buy something that's a surprise, I'll use my debit card. "
Do credit card statements show exactly what you bought?
The key details listed for each credit card transaction are the name of the merchant and the amount spent. But there is not a detailed description of each transaction listed for your account.
For example, if you bought 8 things at Chemist Warehouse, no-one would be able to tell what items you bought by looking at your credit card statement. All you'd be able to see is "Chemist Warehouse - $87" and maybe the location of the store where the payment was processed.
1 in 4 Australians hide money from partners
Finder research in 2025 showed that 27% of Australians conceal money habits from their partner, including debts, gambling activity, or having a secret bank account.
Source:
Finder survey
Need help?
If you’re trying to cover up mounting debt, you might want to consider consolidating and paying off your debts with a balance transfer credit card. And if you need help or advice about your situation now, call the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007 to speak to a financial counsellor for free.
Sources
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