Paperless online credit card statements

Tired of paying the bank to send you your own credit card statement? Cut back on unnecessary waste and costs by opting to receive paperless credit card statements online for free.

This guide looks at the differences between online and paper statements so you can make an informed decision about how to manage your account.

What’s the difference between printed and paperless online credit card statements?

Paper and electronic statements look the same, the difference being online statements are sent to your email inbox not your postbox.

How to access paperless online credit card statements

Many financial institutions provide electronic statements as a default service; you’ll have to opt-in to receiving online statements if this isn’t the case. You can do this by calling your credit card company or logging on to Internet banking. You can check to see whether you’re registered for paperless statements once you’ve linked your credit card to your online banking account.

Follow these four general steps to access your online statements:

1. Log in to your Internet banking account.
2. Select the credit card account you want to view statements for.
3. Select the “statements” option for that account.
4. Click on the statement period you want to view.

You’ll get an email notification when you get a new statement, which should help serve as a reminder to view your statement and make repayments. If you’ve verified your mobile number you can also opt for SMS notifications. Some financial institutions will even send you an SMS code as an extra layer of security before you can open the document. As well as current statements, you can also view past statements online too.

If you want to download your statements, you’ll need an application that can open the PDF file format (such as Adobe Acrobat). You can then save the PDF statement to view or print if you’d like a hard copy.

Other factors to consider

• Automatic notifications. Choose between email and SMS notifications when your statement is available to view online. This is a handy feature if you’ve missed your credit card repayments because of forgetfulness.
• Print statement fees. A clear incentive to go paperless is that paper statements can cost a couple of dollars – additional paper statements cost even more. Not to mention the trees. If you need a physical copy you can always print it at home.
• Financial management preferences. Choose the option that’s most convenient for you. Paperless online statements allow you to manage multiple accounts from your desktop or mobile device. If paper statements are your preference, log in to your online banking facility or contact a customer service representative to select a paper statement service. Remember you can also change when your credit card statement is issued to match when you’re paid.
• Searching for transactions. It’s much quicker to review and search online statements. Paper statements take up space and lack search functionality.
• Statement history. You can view all of your previous statements when you log in to your online banking account. Follow the prompts to navigate to the statement history section.
  As well as view your transactions when you get your monthly statement, you can view your transactions for the last 30 days when you log in to your online banking account. Internet banking applications feature search functions that let you set custom ranges such as transaction date and size.
• Security. Thieves can steal your identity using the information on your credit card statement. Cutting the paper trail can prevent this. Online statements are secure if viewed and left on the credit card issuer’s online banking platform.

Paper and electronic statements serve the same function, but paperless versions will help save you money, the environment, paper build-up and time in the long run.

Images: Shutterstock.