# Can I put my old credit card statements in the recycling if the cards are expired? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 1, 2009, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-put-my-old-credit-card-statements-in-the-recycling-if-the-cards-are-expired/504935 "2009-08-01T00:25:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Vision\_of\_Love](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Vision\_of\_Love](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vision_of_Love)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2009, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-put-my-old-credit-card-statements-in-the-recycling-if-the-cards-are-expired/504935/1 "2009-08-01T00:25:00Z")
I have a pile of credit card statements that I kept in a file cabinet for years. I am in the process of tossing out my junk and I came across these paper statements. They are for old cards that have long expired so the credit card numbers are no longer active. Is it still safe to throw them in the recycling? I’d rather the paper be recycled than for me to put them in the shredder at work. And no, I’m not particularly uncomfortable about having people see my credit card records if they do come across them. Nothing too exciting there. Advice? [EDIT: Sorry! I don’t know how I or this thread ended up in Great Debates! Please move to GQ. ☹] ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2009, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-put-my-old-credit-card-statements-in-the-recycling-if-the-cards-are-expired/504935/2 "2009-08-01T00:51:33Z")
I can’t answer your question, but I’ve alerted the mods that you want this moved to GQ. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2009, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-put-my-old-credit-card-statements-in-the-recycling-if-the-cards-are-expired/504935/3 "2009-08-01T00:58:53Z")
Do they have your name and address on them? I shred old statements, myself. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2009, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-put-my-old-credit-card-statements-in-the-recycling-if-the-cards-are-expired/504935/4 "2009-08-01T01:46:16Z")
If you really don’t care about what’s on them, you can throw them away or hand them out as fliers. The only question to ask yourself is whether there is confidential information. If so, shred. If not, toss them. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2009, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-put-my-old-credit-card-statements-in-the-recycling-if-the-cards-are-expired/504935/5 "2009-08-01T01:54:56Z")
**Moderator’s Note:** Re-filing in General Questions. ---
**Author:** ![Vision\_of\_Love](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Vision\_of\_Love](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vision_of_Love)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2009, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-put-my-old-credit-card-statements-in-the-recycling-if-the-cards-are-expired/504935/6 "2009-08-01T02:07:50Z")
So I just found out that my city will accept shredded paper for recycling if it’s in a clear plastic bag (I didn’t think they did). So I think that’s what I will do. I am still interested in your answers to my questions though. Maybe a better question is: Is there anything on a credit card statement that could put my account at risk, aside from the credit card number (which is expired anyway)? I know my name and address are on it, but is that really a big deal? Thanks also to **MEBuckner** and **Risto** for the move. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![IAmNotSpartacus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@IAmNotSpartacus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IAmNotSpartacus)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2009, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-put-my-old-credit-card-statements-in-the-recycling-if-the-cards-are-expired/504935/7 "2009-08-01T03:18:32Z")
Your card number won’t expire, just the plastic credit card. You ought to be shredding those papers IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2009, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-put-my-old-credit-card-statements-in-the-recycling-if-the-cards-are-expired/504935/8 "2009-08-01T05:52:27Z")
Well you could just take a scissors and cut out the number part and throw away the rest. Out of habit, once a year I call in any credit card I have as stolen so they have to issue me a new number. That way if anyone is doing anything with my number I failed to notice they won’t do it for long. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2009, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-put-my-old-credit-card-statements-in-the-recycling-if-the-cards-are-expired/504935/9 "2009-08-01T06:53:11Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Do they have your name and address on them? _Everyone_ has your name and address. OP, as IAmNotSpartacus alluded, if the card is just expired, it’s not all that safe. But if the _account_ is _defunct_ it’s pretty damn safe. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2009, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-put-my-old-credit-card-statements-in-the-recycling-if-the-cards-are-expired/504935/10 "2009-08-01T07:05:11Z")
I’m a believer in shredding anything that has more information about you than what you can find out by using Google. If you don’t have a shredder, consider burning it. That’s more fun, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2009, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-put-my-old-credit-card-statements-in-the-recycling-if-the-cards-are-expired/504935/11 "2009-08-01T07:40:04Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > Well you could just take a scissors and cut out the number part and throw away the rest. > > Out of habit, once a year I call in any credit card I have as stolen so they have to issue me a new number. > > That way if anyone is doing anything with my number I failed to notice they won’t do it for long. Doesn’t a card reported as stolen show up on your credit report? If an employer or loan officer sees a pattern with such reports, might she not go all :dubious: ? ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2009, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-put-my-old-credit-card-statements-in-the-recycling-if-the-cards-are-expired/504935/12 "2009-08-01T07:41:33Z")
Shred early shred often. Or if you have a cat mix the bills in with the litter box. ---
**Author:** ![janeslogin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@janeslogin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janeslogin)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2009, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-put-my-old-credit-card-statements-in-the-recycling-if-the-cards-are-expired/504935/13 "2009-08-01T16:40:41Z")
It could perhaps depend upon how you file your income tax. If you itemize are there things like job search costs on the card statements that you may want to hold on too in the event of a possible audit? ---
**Author:** ![robcaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@robcaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robcaro)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2009, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-put-my-old-credit-card-statements-in-the-recycling-if-the-cards-are-expired/504935/14 "2009-08-02T00:58:12Z")
Shredding gets rid of all the evidence. I shred everything.