Bank And Credit Card Statements

[Buenchico]

With the vast number of card payments that most of probably make these days (whether shopping in person or online), do people here sometimes find that a lot of head scratching is needed to work out what the entries on their bank statements (or credit card statements) actually mean?

For example, the bank statement I received today included two small payments to 'Ocs Group UK'. Googling quickly told me that "OCS Group UK is trusted by hundreds of clients throughout the UK to deliver essential and sustainable facilities management services" but that didn't help much when I was trying to work out why I'd given them some of my money! It was only when I spotted the company's logo on their website that I remembered that I'd seen it many times on the uniforms of the ancillary staff at Ipswich Hospital and it finally dawned on me that the payments were for lunch in the hospital's restaurant.

The same bank statement also included a Paypal payment to 'LI Yingyin', who Google reliably informs me is a Chinese volleyball player! It took me ages to work out that it was actually a payment I'd made for a spare part for my car ;-)

Possibly the best one though was when I phoned my credit card provider to query a payment shown on my statement and I was repeatedly told that I'd paid 'Charlie Roy' for something. It was only after a great deal of head scratching that I remembered buying travel tickets at the information desk in Belgium's Charleroi Airport ;-)

[margarettom]

I couldn’t agree more! It’s a nightmare with PayPal. I’m alright with contactless payments though, as I keep all the receipts.

[Buenchico]

Thanks, Margarettom.

I still don't know why a Chinese volleyball player is selling car parts though ;-)

[Peter Pedant]

of vital importance to avoid ghost payments
and fraud

[woofgang]

I have started to keep notes. Several of my regular small payments go quite legitimately to firm names that are not the same as the one I am dealing with.

[CrapAtCryptics]

You can still download Microsoft Money Sunset for free which helps you balance the books including scheduling regular payments and tallying up receipts to make things clearer. A weekly comparison with your accounts keeps things clear in mind.

[bobbinwales]

A think its harder now tho crapacriptics when we'er making lots of small payments contactlessly for just a haircut (well not this month), newspaper or pint a milk and buying online often from abroad

[rowanwitch]

It's even worse when Amazon randomly lump payments together. Usually when you order stuff at weekends. Spent ages online and on the phone trying to identify a transaction that was actually 2 totally separate ones.

[Milo2]

Yes. I had one the other day. It took me quite a while to work out where the payment had gone.