If you have transactions you want to hide from other people, you're not alone. Research from Finder in 2022 found that more than 1 in 4 Australians have lied about their finances or been lied to by a partner.
But if you're wondering if it's possible to hide your credit card transactions once you've made them, the short answer is no. For regulatory and compliance reasons, bank statements record all credit card transactions to protect you from fraud. For better or for worse, this means that it’s impossible to hide or delete them from your history once they’re processed.
The key details listed for each credit card transaction are the name of the merchant and the amount spent. So, 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 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.
Will the bank judge my purchases?
No, you have nothing to worry about as long as your purchases are legal.
How do I delete my transaction history?
Unfortunately, you can't.
If there are some transactions you just don't want anyone else to know about, getting a separate account with a debit card or credit card means you can keep all the information private. Some banks also give you ways to hide individual accounts on the Internet and/or mobile banking to help protect your privacy.
For example, CommBank says you can "open another bank account solely in your name that's hidden from your NetBank account to maintain your privacy". And Westpac lets you group or hide accounts in either the app or Internet banking, but notes that "whatever you hide in one [service] will appear in the other".
This may seem obvious, but it's effective. Next time you want to hide a purchase, pay with cash instead for traceless anonymity.
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.
Just keep in mind that some gift cards can only be loaded with money once. If you want to keep using the card and adding money to it, look for a prepaid card instead.
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. An added bonus: Electronic statements are considered more environmentally friendly and can sometimes help you avoid fees.
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.
The short answer is "not really", but here are some more details for each app:
Another important detail: Even if you hide transactions through an app, they will be listed on your credit card or bank account statement.
Some other money apps allow you to hide transactions for eligible cards or accounts. For example, the Beyond Bank+ and Revolut apps both include an option to hide transactions so that they are excluded from analytics and transaction lists. But all transactions are still available to view on statements or by unhiding/searching for them.
It's impossible to delete transactions from your credit card statement or any other bank statement. But you can keep them secret if you have your own account and keep your login details private.
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.
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