The PROS and CONS of Paperless Statements

Monday, July 25, 2016
At TMC, we have paper statements and paperless options available for you.  Most of our processors have moved to a PAPERLESS default and only provide paper statements when requested.  Enjoy this article by KRISTINA HALL and feel free to call and let us know your personal preference!  1-888-249-9919

Many industries have recently switched to the “going green” ideals of operating on a paperless system.  According to PayItGreen.org, if 20 percent of American households switched from paper to electronic bills, statements and payments each year, the collective impact would:

  • Save 150,939,615 pounds of paper
  • Save 1,811,275 trees
  • Avoid producing almost 2 million tons of greenhouse gases
  • Avoid creating over a billion gallons of waste-water during paper production
  • Avoid using over 100 million gallons of gas to mail payments

Those numbers are convincing enough to make any industry consider the move to electronic statements. For example, take my recent experiences with doctors: One office had me fill out a new patient profile survey online before my first appointment. Another office had gone entirely paperless in the examination room—no charts, only laptops—and even asked if I’d be willing to receive my test results online by setting up an account with their patient manager website. Lastly, in order to receive a rebate on my prescription purchase, I had to use a promotion code and fill out the required forms online.

Personally, I think the movement to reduce paper usage is great, however, it comes with some consequences. In the first two examples above, I mentioned the passing of information through the Internet. Both instances required setting up a username and password to create an account. I may be the only one, but I’m starting to have trouble keeping all of my various online account usernames and passwords straight!

A lot of credit card companies are offering the option to receive statements online, rather than in the mail. Many customers view this as a convenience, but is it truly a helpful alternative?

THE PROS OF PAPERLESS BILLING

  • Environmentally  Friendly
  • Information Accessible Anywhere

Receiving your bills via the Internet gives you the ability to check your monthly statements wherever you are. This means if you’re out of town for work or on a vacation, you can easily stay on top of your bills and payments so you don’t miss any that are due while you’re away.

THE CONS

  • Passwords
  • Updating Account Information
  • Less Frequently Used Cards

Not receiving a bill in the mail for the cards you rarely use could cause you to forget to pay the bill. This could result in a number of negative effects, including being late on your payments, which is a major ding to your credit score.

What this really comes down to is deciding which method will help you more—if you’re well-organized and can easily keep track of all of your accounts, online statements are a great way to manage your bills anywhere, anytime. However, if you like having a hard copy of your bills, or have created a routine around the old  school practice of receiving your statement in the mail and immediately sending off the check, then switching over to the paperless trend may not be for you.

If you would like to read the above article in its entirety, please follow this link!

http://blog.quizzle.com/2010/03/the-pros-and-cons-of-paperless-billing/

Guest Blogger 7/25/2016