Many large companies advertise paperless billing, green, etc. One problem with it that does not get enough press is what happens you end up in an accident or illness for weeks in the hospital or rehabilitation, and you have to have someone else manage your bill paying and you do not have a spouse to do it. Sure you can set autopay, but not trusting of it when the bill amounts varies month to month and if there is a billing error, have fun wasting time getting it fixed once charged, or you can share your online account passwords with whoever is managing your bill paying in your absence which is not recommended by IT security experts. Firsthand, know from older close relative, who years ago had to have major surgery and in rehabilitation for weeks, left some signed blank checks in a secure place in her home, but if she had not got the paper bills (fortunately she did not have anything set up online for paperless), some of her bills I would not have got paid for her while she was recovering away from home.

For reasoning above, I do pay most of my bills online, but still have the paper copy sent in US postal mail (some friends I have talked with are likewise). If a company, example Target, say in their terms of service, if want to pay online, you have no choice but to select paperless billing or they charge for it, then either I do not do business with them (actually have not with Target since their hack years ago) or I send them payment through the mail. For a couple of bills I pay online, one example comes to mind is Citibank, the companies do not send the payment envelope in the bill copy they postal mail me which is fine (is green also).

The large companies advertise how green paperless billing is, giving you impression good for environment (cannot dispute that, saves some trees), but also more green for their executives and stockholders, some even push autopay by debit card/check which if they get hacked is a bigger identity mess to straighten out (better with a credit card which can cancel or dispute charges). However, as individuals, keeping above in mind, none of us are getting any younger, and unless you think you are invincible and will never get seriously ill or in a major accident in your lifetime, think twice about whether you really should sign up for paperless billing.

Here's another reason: history.

I had the Costco AmEx. Costco and AmEx got divorced this year, so the card was cancelled. Fortunately I hadn't opted for paperless, because past statements are no longer visible on the website! Now, it's possible that if I had opted for paperless, they would still be visible, but I'd be astonished if they bothered to make the distinction. Pretty sleazy on their part, IMHO.

My company want us to do everything paperless, to the extent that you do not even get an email with a pay statement you have to access it online. What happens when you are no longer an employee of that company and no longer have access to their website and for some reason (i.e. IRS Audit) you need access to those statements? They tell us that you access the website and can print them off yourself at home every pay period. Screw that, they can count that paper as part of their cost of doing business and print off a copy and give it to me.

Or paperless anything ..... Wrote:
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> My company want us to do everything paperless, to
> the extent that you do not even get an email with
> a pay statement you have to access it online. What
> happens when you are no longer an employee of that
> company and no longer have access to their website
> and for some reason (i.e. IRS Audit) you need
> access to those statements? They tell us that you
> access the website and can print them off yourself
> at home every pay period. Screw that, they can
> count that paper as part of their cost of doing
> business and print off a copy and give it to me.

So print it at work every month. On company time.

Greybeard Wrote:
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> Or paperless anything ..... Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > My company want us to do everything paperless,
> to
> > the extent that you do not even get an email
> with
> > a pay statement you have to access it online.
> What
> > happens when you are no longer an employee of
> that
> > company and no longer have access to their
> website
> > and for some reason (i.e. IRS Audit) you need
> > access to those statements? They tell us that
> you
> > access the website and can print them off
> yourself
> > at home every pay period. Screw that, they can
> > count that paper as part of their cost of doing
> > business and print off a copy and give it to
> me.
>
> So print it at work every month. On company time.

Your assumption is that everyone has a job where access to internet and printers is a given. That is not always the case.

Or paperless anything ..... Wrote:
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> Your assumption is that everyone has a job where
> access to internet and printers is a given. That
> is not always the case.

Ah, true, my bad! Sorry 'bout that.

Or paperless anything ..... Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My company want us to do everything paperless, to
> the extent that you do not even get an email with
> a pay statement you have to access it online. What
> happens when you are no longer an employee of that
> company and no longer have access to their website
> and for some reason (i.e. IRS Audit) you need
> access to those statements?

That happened to me. I didn't have a job and needed to prove my lack of income for something, I had to email my old company to ask for a few of my old pay statements. Kind of sucked..

I don't go along with anything that lowers a corporation's costs. Unless they are going to cut me in on the savings, which of course, they never do.

On my job, they went to e-mailed pay statements. Print it out if you want a copy. Then they started using company e-mail to change behavior. "If you don't do this, that, or the other...we will have to suspend your company e-mail until you do".

I told them then they better print and distribute pay statements if they suspend our e-mail. Pay statements in some form are not a favor they do for employees, they are required by law.