CREDIT CARDS - ACCESS TO ENABLE VIEWING STATEMENTS / TRANSACTIONS

Moots2024

I have carried out some searches on the forum about this and want to avoid as far as possible going over old ground.

My wife and I use one credit card. She is the main account holder and I a supplemental card holder/user. I appreciate there are a number of potential issues that may arise from that but I don't wish to get bogged down on those beyond my query here.

Our only desire(simply for convenience) is that I am able to check statements/transactions online. I have read that it can be against T's & C's for me to log on as my wife on my laptop. Even if it is contrary to T's & C's is the credit card company really going to view something like that(if it manages to become aware of it) punitively?

I've done my best to keep this brief. There is no motive beyond convenience. Any suggestions about how I can easily be able to access the credit card statements? Everything we do is joint - other than for saving advantages(eg Cash ISAs).

Any, ideally simple, suggestions gratefully received. 

eskbanker

Who is the card issued by?  Some providers issue multiple logins....

It's typically recommended practice to download copies of statements rather than relying on the provider for access indefinitely, so if she saves these to cloud storage (or anywhere independent of the card issuer) then you'd obviously be able to see those without needing to log on to the provider.

Brie

If the card provider tries to stonewall you about getting access you might explain that you need access due to your wife not being able to access things herself.  Whether this is a permanent thing or temporarily. 

We had this with MBNA.  The used to have it so that 1 log on could allow me to access both my card and my husband's.  Then they made it so that he was the only one that could log on to the card and I was denied access.  We explained that my husband had issues with technology and finance and so I managed these things on his behalf.  And I was allowed to access his account again but with a separate login for each of us.  

Brie

Oh and yes there are sometimes very good reasons for the supplementary card holder not having access to the account.  Financial coercion is the best reason as well as fraud/theft taking place within a household.  Sadly it does happen. 

Beyond that there are the simple privacy issues.  Any spouse who has looked a CC statement and wondered who/when/why there was a transaction for a romantic hotel they knew nothing about may very well want to access their OH's financial records.  Frankly I've spotted birthday presents well in advance of the day because I track all of our card use.

Jami74

My husband and I had a joint account. We both used my internet log in to access the account, we didn't realise at the time that we were meant to have a log in each. It was our only account and because it was joint we would both have seen everything anyway. Nothing bad happened. Now, we're a bit more financially advanced and also have our own sole accounts and use our own log ins.

Moots2024

Thanks everyone. As I indicated my sole interest was convenience of not having to ask my wife every time I want to look at the account but seems like the easiest thing will be to ask her to download statements that I can then look at at my leisure. Just aiming to manage the budget. 

DullGreyGuy

Jami74 said:

My husband and I had a joint account. We both used my internet log in to access the account, we didn't realise at the time that we were meant to have a log in each. It was our only account and because it was joint we would both have seen everything anyway. Nothing bad happened. Now, we're a bit more financially advanced and also have our own sole accounts and use our own log ins.

You didnt have a joint credit card unless you were living overseas, there are no such thing in the UK. Even in the US where they do exist their volume is tiny compared to the primary/secondary cardholder we have here.

Moots2024 said:

Thanks everyone. As I indicated my sole interest was convenience of not having to ask my wife every time I want to look at the account but seems like the easiest thing will be to ask her to download statements that I can then look at at my leisure. Just aiming to manage the budget. 

AmEx allows secondary cardholders to have their own log in, with some cards this is how they sign up to the benefits they are entitled to etc too. When they log in however they only see their own transactions and not those of other cardholders whereas the account holder/primary cardholder sees all transactions on the card. 

Access for others appears to be highly limited from other providers. Some contact centre agents do promote breaching the terms and sharing a single log in but thats probably ignorance/training issue rather than a formal company line. 

Jami74

DullGreyGuy said:

Jami74 said:

My husband and I had a joint account. We both used my internet log in to access the account, we didn't realise at the time that we were meant to have a log in each. It was our only account and because it was joint we would both have seen everything anyway. Nothing bad happened. Now, we're a bit more financially advanced and also have our own sole accounts and use our own log ins.

You didnt have a joint credit card unless you were living overseas, there are no such thing in the UK. Even in the US where they do exist their volume is tiny compared to the primary/secondary cardholder we have here.

Sorry, should have specified 'current' account, not credit card. We had one account, one computer and one set of log in details. Obviously (without realising at the time) I was breaking T&C's for letting hubby log in to our account with my log in details but I'm not sure how anyone would have known as I willingly shared the details with him. 

Now, if we wanted to joint spend and joint monitor we'd do it from a joint current account. As it is, he has no interest in budgets or statements or who has spent what which is why he is a secondary card holder on my credit card rather than the other way round.