Two MITC ideas get mixed up:
- How you get the bill — email vs courier vs “I never got it.”
- What you pay for paper.
Public language on large-bank inserts:
E-statement or paper statement are not chargeable. Effective 1 January 2019 if the customer wishes to receive paper statements in addition to e-statement, they will be chargeable at INR 99 per month.
And separately:
You will be deemed to have received documents we send, including the card statement: on courier handover; on the fourth day after ordinary post; or on trigger of the e-statement to your registered email.
“I did not open the mailer” is not a defence to late fees or a CIC miss.
Related cluster: APR · MAD · Grace period · Cash advance · Forex · Fuel / rail · Lost card · Add-on · Over-limit · Annual fee waiver
The fee in one sentence
E-statement to your registered email is the default and is typically free. A duplicate paper statement every month on top of that has been billed at about ₹99 per month (plus GST) on published tariffs. A one-off physical copy on request may follow a different (phone-banking) process.
When the bank even issues a statement
Same inserts often say:
- A statement every month if the account balance is more than ₹100.
- If balance is under ₹100, a statement when a new transaction posts.
- If you have a credit balance, a statement only if that credit exceeds ₹250.
- Unless you ticked hard copy on the application, you get email only.
- Previous 12 months are meant to be available on internet banking.
- Physical copies on request through phone banking.
A quiet card is not always a monthly PDF. That does not pause interest on an old revolving balance.
Deemed receipt — the clause that beats “spam folder”
You are treated as having received the statement:
| Channel | Deemed received |
|---|---|
| Personal courier | The day it is handed to the courier |
| Ordinary post | On expiry of the fourth day after posting to the registered mailing address |
| E-statement | On trigger to the registered email — not when you open it |
Wrong email, full inbox, or an old office ID still counts if that ID is what the bank has. Update KYC contact details before you travel or change jobs.
The grace window runs to the due date on the statement, not to “three days after I saw Gmail.”
₹99 paper vs other “I just wanted a copy” fees
Do not confuse statement mode with service-handling:
| Request | Illustrative public charge |
|---|---|
| E-statement (default) | Free |
| Paper in addition to e-statement, monthly | ~₹99 / month + GST |
| One-off reprint via phone banking | May fall under non-IVR officer handling (some tables used ₹49) if the same info is available in net-banking |
| Same request at branch | Some tables used ₹199 for branch service requests |
| Self-service IVR | Often free |
| Pay the card bill in cash at a branch | A separate cash repayment fee (examples around ₹299) — not a statement fee |
Phone-banking hours on some notices shrank (e.g. 7 a.m.–11 p.m.), with loss / unauthorised / dispute / stop-pay still treated as emergency. Logging into the site is the intended default.
GST applies over these charges.
Why this shows up next to MAD and CIBIL
The paper fee is a billed charge. It:
- raises outstanding
- can sit inside the MAD “fees” bucket
- does not extend the due date if the PDF was already triggered
Ignoring email because “I prefer paper that never arrived” is how people collect late slabs and a one-month CIC mark.
Short FAQ
Is there a charge for credit card statements in India?
E-statements are typically free. Monthly paper in addition to email has been charged at about ₹99 per month on published tariffs. Confirm your schedule.
I did not read the email. Can I skip the late fee?
MITCs often treat the statement as received when the e-statement is triggered. Late fee follows the due date, not your open-rate.
Why did I not get a statement this month?
Balance may be ≤ ₹100 with no new transaction, or a credit below the ₹250 print threshold. Check the app anyway.
How far back can I download statements?
Many issuers put 12 months on net-banking; older copies via phone banking / branch may cost.
Can I opt back to paper only?
Sometimes, but the cheap path is email + PDF download. Dual mode is what attracted the ₹99 line.
What you should do
- Confirm the email ID on the card account (not only the savings account).
- Turn off duplicate paper if you do not need it.
- Download PDFs the day the SMS/email lands; note MAD, TAD, due date.
- Auto-pay TAD two working days early.
- Keep 12 months of PDFs for disputes (21-day windows move fast).
Educational explainer, not a tariff. ₹99, ₹49, ₹199, statement thresholds and deemed-receipt rules change by issuer and year. Your MITC and schedule of charges win.
Leave a Reply