Why would you pay for your credit card statement? Switch to paperless online statements in a few clicks.
Are you sick of sorting through paper credit card statements every month? 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 and review your account details.
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.
Rather than storing paper statements at home, you can either leave your online statements in your inbox or download them to save in a specific folder on your computer. Not only does this save you from collecting paper at home, but it also means that you’re less likely to lose your statements down the track if they’re saved both in your online account and on your computer.
| Printed statements | Paperless online statements |
|---|---|
| Printed by the credit card provider and sent to you by post | Accessed via Internet banking. Some providers also email your paperless statements via a secured email service |
| Provides you with a physical copy of your statement for review | Allows you to easily store statements electronically for quick recall and review |
| May attract a print statement fee of between $1 and $7 (especially for additional statements) | No cost involved |
| Can take several days to reach you | Can be accessed immediately |
Rather than storing paper statements at home, you can either leave your online statements in your inbox or download them to save in a specific folder on your computer. Not only does this save you from collecting paper at home, but it also means that you’re less likely to lose your statements down the track if they’re saved both in your online account and on your computer.
How to access paperless online credit card statements
Some 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 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 steps to access your online statements. Note that the process may be different for some credit card companies.
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, alter or to print if you’d like a hard copy.
Pictures: Shutterstock.
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 attract a fee of a couple of dollars – additional paper statements cost even more. Printing your statements at home is a cheaper alternative if you’d like a physical copy.
- 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.
If you haven’t already been auto-enrolled in a paperless statement service, you can switch by calling your credit card company or logging on to Internet banking. Paper and electronic statements serve a similar function, but paperless versions will help save you money, paper build-up and time in the long run.
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