Credit Cards and You: Service Fees on Credit Card Transactions

Fees for reprinting statements

Usually, credit card issuers will not charge you for a copy of your current credit card statement. However, if you request a copy of past credit card statements, you may have to pay a fee. To find out how your card issuer treats requests for statements, check the terms and conditions of your credit card agreement or contact the issuer directly.

By law, federally regulated financial institutions are required to provide consumers with monthly credit card statements if there has been some activity on their credit card, or if there is a balance remaining on the card.

However, they are not required to provide monthly statements in the following situations:

• there is no outstanding balance and there has not been any activity on the card;
  
  
• there is no activity on the card and the cardholder has been advised that their credit agreement was suspended or cancelled because they failed to meet their financial obligation, and the federally regulated financial institution that issued the card has demanded payment of the outstanding balance.

You may also be able to view your credit card statements on line, free of charge. Credit card issuers usually allow access to on-line statements for the previous 12 months. However, to take advantage of this service, you will need to register for it on your card issuer's Web site. Some institutions also charge a fee for access to electronic or Internet banking.