Barclays Going paperless March 2023

GTR_King

Statements should be free for people who don’t use online banking or mobile app… if they wanna charge then no more than £5 will do for me

EarthBoy

Marchitiello said:

Many other banks have done the same. 

Yes indeed.  Lloyds and Halifax have also emailed customers recently and advised them they will be switched to paperless unless they opt out.

EarthBoy

GTR_King said:

Statements should be free for people who don’t use online banking or mobile app… if they wanna charge then no more than £5 will do for me

I can understand that.  What I can't understand is the customers with online banking and/or the app, but they still want paper statements.  

Band7

EarthBoy said:

GTR_King said:

Statements should be free for people who don’t use online banking or mobile app… if they wanna charge then no more than £5 will do for me

I can understand that.  What I can't understand is the customers with online banking and/or the app, but they still want paper statements.  

There could still be the occasional need for a paper statement for ID verification purposes, or for a mortgage application. This isn't enough reason IMO, though, for getting regular monthly paper statements.

I am all for banks charging for paper statements and hope it won't be too long before this becomes the norm. We need to reduce the chopping down of trees and spending energy and toxic resources to turn them into printed paper that then gets delivered on vehicles which pollute our air. And no, I am not a tree hugging environmentalist, just conscious that we can do many things much more efficiently and better for the good of everyone.

The_Unready

Far too many people on this thread seem to be thinking that their own personal situations and preferences are applicable to the whole population.

There are many people who do not have computers or internet access for any number of reasons. That does not mean that they should be forced to do so just because 'other' people do.

If Barclays wish to implement an online-only policy for statements then that's fine for those customers who are happy to comply, but they must also provide an option for paper statements if required, irrespective of whether Joe Bloggs down the street thinks that online is good enough for him so it should be good enough for everyone else.

WillPS

The_Unready said:

Far too many people on this thread seem to be thinking that their own personal situations and preferences are applicable to the whole population.

There are many people who do not have computers or internet access for any number of reasons. That does not mean that they should be forced to do so just because 'other' people do.

If Barclays wish to implement an online-only policy for statements then that's fine for those customers who are happy to comply, but they must also provide an option for paper statements if required, irrespective of whether Joe Bloggs down the street thinks that online is good enough for him so it should be good enough for everyone else.

Good job they have done that, right?

Section62

Band7 said:

I am all for banks charging for paper statements and hope it won't be too long before this becomes the norm. We need to reduce the chopping down of trees and spending energy and toxic resources to turn them into printed paper that then gets delivered on vehicles which pollute our air. And no, I am not a tree hugging environmentalist, just conscious that we can do many things much more efficiently and better for the good of everyone.

In relation to the BiB, I've remained opted in to paper statements (unless T&C's require paperless) because I think it does a small bit to help to keep Royal Mail's universal postal service sustainable.

I don't feel guilty about the air being polluted, because the delivery vehicles will be doing the round whether my bank statements are in them or not, plus my local postie is now driving an electic van (so no tailpipe pollution) - which will become the norm for people whose post is not delivered by the even more sustainable method of walking.  https://www.royalmail.com/sustainability/environment/going-electric

We (as a country) still need a universal postal service, so enviro-guilt over the transport of bank statements to my home is not going to make me stop having them.

I'm also fairly sure that none of them are now produced by "the chopping down of trees", except where sustainable, and because I keep my bank statements long-term I like to think of my lever arch files as a mini-carbon sink.

For those advocating printing statements at home.... I'd rather not contribute to the appalling waste of plastic caused by throwaway printers and throwaway ink cartridges.  But I won't take to the internet to demand that other people are banned from printing their own statements at home if that is their preference.

If banks can save money by not printing and posting statements I'd be more than happy if they want to share that saving with me - but a quick survey of the market currently suggests most banks are happy to keep the savings for themselves.

If banks want to start charging for paper statements then I hope the various organisation representing people who may have limited or zero access to electronic banking will do all they can to point out the hypocrisy of banks that discourage customers from having a tangible record of their financial transactions, whilst continuing to pump out glossy marketing materials and employing other environmentally damaging practices such as giving out free coffee in-branch using disposable cups.

And yes, I do always pass on the offer of free coffee to offset the impact of having paper bank statements sent to me.

The_Unready

WillPS said:

The_Unready said:

Far too many people on this thread seem to be thinking that their own personal situations and preferences are applicable to the whole population.

There are many people who do not have computers or internet access for any number of reasons. That does not mean that they should be forced to do so just because 'other' people do.

If Barclays wish to implement an online-only policy for statements then that's fine for those customers who are happy to comply, but they must also provide an option for paper statements if required, irrespective of whether Joe Bloggs down the street thinks that online is good enough for him so it should be good enough for everyone else.

Good job they have done that, right?

Did I say they hadn't, right?

Rob5342

The_Unready said:

Far too many people on this thread seem to be thinking that their own personal situations and preferences are applicable to the whole population.

There are many people who do not have computers or internet access for any number of reasons. That does not mean that they should be forced to do so just because 'other' people do.

If Barclays wish to implement an online-only policy for statements then that's fine for those customers who are happy to comply, but they must also provide an option for paper statements if required, irrespective of whether Joe Bloggs down the street thinks that online is good enough for him so it should be good enough for everyone else.

It is a dwindling number though. I was banking online with Lloyds 23 years ago and I have a number of relatives over that are over 80 and they all bank online quite happily. Barclays still offer paper statements but they can't carry on forever when the demand keeps dropping.

GTR_King

Most banks want customers to be paperless but still offering paper statements if you want them