Can you delete your transaction history online? | Finder

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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 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: the 3 best credit balance transfer credit cards right now

2:03

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. "

Richard Whitten

Senior Money Editor

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

Thank you for your feedback!

Written by

Amy Bradney-George

Journalist

Amy is an experienced journalist with over 16 years of experience, contributing to major publications like Money Magazine, The Sydney Morning Herald, and ABC News Australia. Specialising in personal finance, she frequently appeared in media outlets and on radio. Amy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Drama from Griffith University and earned RG146 certifications in Tier 1 Generic Knowledge and Tier 2 General Advice Deposit Products, ensuring her expertise is grounded in current financial regulations. Amy was Finder's Senior Writer for Credit Cards from 2016 to 2024. See full bio

Amy's expertise

Amy has written 494 Finder guides across topics including:

Credit cards
Frequent flyer
Credit score
BNPL
Money management
Sustainability

Co-written by

Richard Whitten

Senior Money Editor

Richard Whitten is Finder’s Senior Money Editor, with over eight years of experience in home loans, property, credit cards and personal finance. His insights appear in top media outlets like Yahoo Finance, Money Magazine, and the Herald Sun, and he frequently offers expert commentary on television and radio, helping Australians navigate mortgages and property ownership. Richard started his career in education and textbook publishing in South Korea. He holds multiple industry certifications, including a Certificate IV in Mortgage Broking (RG 206) and Tier 1 and Tier 2 certifications (RG 146), as well as a Bachelor of Education from the University of Sydney and a Graduate Certificate in Communications from Deakin University. See full bio

Richard's expertise

Richard has written 707 Finder guides across topics including:

Home loans
Credit cards
Personal finance
Money-saving tips

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