To get a copy of a credit card statement, log into your card issuer’s website or open its mobile app and download the statement as a PDF, or call the customer service number on the back of your card and ask for a mailed copy. Most issuers keep at least seven years of statements available online, and your issuer must send each statement at least 21 days before your payment due date.1Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 12 CFR 1026.5 – General Disclosure Requirements Pulling a statement quickly matters for another reason: federal law gives you only 60 days after a statement is sent to dispute a billing error on it.
Download From the Issuer’s Website
If you already have online access, log in and look for a tab labeled “Statements,” “Documents,” or something similar, usually in the top navigation or a side menu. Clicking it opens a list of past billing periods by month and year. Select the one you want and the site will either preview it on screen or prompt you to download a PDF that you can save to your computer or to cloud storage.
If you haven’t registered yet, go to the issuer’s website or app and find the “Register” or “Sign Up” link. You’ll typically need your card number, the security code on the back, and a personal detail such as your date of birth or the last four digits of your Social Security number. You’ll set a username and password during registration.
Expect to complete a second step at login. Most issuers now send a one-time code by text or email, or ask you to confirm a push notification on your phone, after you enter your password. Keep the phone number and email on your account current so those codes actually reach you.
Online portals generally keep statements available for at least seven years, and some issuers keep them longer. If you need something older than what appears in the list, you’ll usually have to call and request it, and the issuer may charge a small research fee.
Pull a Statement Through the Mobile App
The issuer’s app shows the same statements as the website, formatted for a phone. After logging in, tap the menu icon (often three horizontal lines or a “More” button) and look for “Statements,” “Documents,” or “Paperless.” Tap the month you want to open it.
To keep a copy, use the share icon to send the PDF to cloud storage, email it to yourself, or save it to your phone’s files. That’s useful when you’re on a call with a lender or sitting with a tax preparer. Statements carry sensitive account data, so avoid saving them on a shared or unsecured device.
Request a Paper Copy by Phone
For a physical copy, call the number on the back of your card. The automated menu usually has an option for account information or statement requests after it verifies your identity, and a representative can mail you a copy of any past statement. Fees for paper copies vary by issuer and typically run from nothing to about $5 per statement.
If you want future statements delivered by mail instead of electronically, ask the representative to change your delivery preference, or update it yourself in the “Paperless” or “Communication Preferences” area of your account settings. Confirm your mailing address at the same time. Because your issuer must send each statement at least 21 days before the due date, a stale address can delay delivery and put an on-time payment at risk.2Federal Trade Commission. Using Credit Cards and Disputing Charges
You Can Keep Paper Delivery if You Want It
Under the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, your issuer cannot move you to electronic-only statements without your clear consent, and you can withdraw that consent later and return to paper.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 7001 – General Rule of Validity Before asking for consent, the issuer must explain your right to a paper copy and any fees for one, how to switch back to paper and any consequences of doing so (such as losing a paperless discount), whether you’re consenting for a single document or all future statements, and the hardware and software you’ll need to open electronic records. Regulation Z permits electronic delivery of periodic statements only when the issuer follows those E-SIGN consent rules.4eCFR. 12 CFR 1026.5 – General Disclosure Requirements
Check Each Statement Within 60 Days
You have 60 days after your issuer sends a statement to notify them in writing of a billing error on it. Billing errors include unauthorized charges, charges for goods you never received, math mistakes, and charges posted to the wrong account. If you report the error in time, the issuer must acknowledge your notice within 30 days and resolve the dispute within two billing cycles, and in no case more than 90 days.5Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 12 CFR 1026.13 – Billing Error Resolution Miss the 60-day window and those protections go away.
Send the dispute to the billing inquiries address printed on the statement, not the payment address. They’re usually different.2Federal Trade Commission. Using Credit Cards and Disputing Charges
How Long to Keep Your Own Copies
For tax purposes, the IRS recommends keeping records that support items on a return for at least three years from the date you filed. If you underreported income by more than 25% of the gross income shown on the return, the IRS has six years to assess additional tax, so records for that longer period are worth keeping.6Internal Revenue Service. Topic No. 305, Recordkeeping
A simple habit works: download each month’s PDF and store it in a labeled folder on your computer or in cloud storage. When a mortgage lender, insurance adjuster, or tax preparer asks for an old statement, you’ll have it without a phone call or a research fee.