How to find billing address?

Whenever you move, one of the first things you need to take care of is changing the billing address on your credit card. This will ensure that you don’t miss any important documents, such as your monthly statement and account changes. In addition, by keeping your information up to date, you can protect yourself from potential fraud.

Fortunately, most people don’t move often. That means you won’t need to update your billing address very much. That said, if you do make a change, you’ll likely want to know how to find your billing address.

Why is your billing address important?

Although it’s not always obvious, your billing address is a vital piece of your personal information. It essentially helps identify you. For example, there could be someone else with the exact same name as you that lives in the same city. Your address is one way to quickly prove that you’re a different person. This could be relevant if your information gets mixed up with the other person, and you need to clear your name.

Fraud is another important consideration. These days, thieves aren’t necessarily interested in your credit card numbers. What appeals to them is your personal information. With the right information, such as your address, date of birth, and social insurance number, they could potentially commit identity theft. If your billing address isn’t up to date, you might literally be delivering important documents to potential thieves living at your old address.

Finally, your billing address often matters if you’re making online purchases. What you might notice when checking out is that many merchants ask for your billing address. They need this to match what’s listed on your credit card. If they don’t match, it could be a fraudulent purchase, so your payment will likely be declined.

How can you find your billing address?

In most cases, your billing address is the same as your home address. That said, if you’re looking for your billing address to review or change it, it’s best to do it online. Although every credit card will have a different process, you’ll follow similar steps to the following:

1. Log into your online banking

2. Select profile or my account

3. Select edit account details or personal information

4. Select edit home address or billing address

Note that some online banking profiles will require you to select edit home address before it displays your full current address. This is done for security reasons.

Other ways to check your billing address

Online banking isn’t the only way to check your billing address. You can also get that information from one of the following methods:

• Your statement: If you look at your monthly banking statement, the address listed is usually your billing address.

• The app: You can view your billing address through our banking app. You’d follow similar steps as if you were doing things via online banking.

• Call customer service: You can find the customer service number on the back of your credit card.

• Go to a branch: If you have a credit card through your bank, you can have the staff confirm with you the billing address.

In all of the above situations, you’d have to prove that you’re the account holder first. This would be done by entering your password, PIN or verifying your identity.

How can you update your billing address?

To update your billing address, you follow the same steps outlined above to get to your billing address. Once you’re on your profile page, you’d select edit home address or billing address. You would then enter your new address and click save or confirm. It’s that easy.

It’s worth mentioning that you can typically only have one billing address per account. For example, if you have a chequing account, Registered Retirement Savings Plan, and credit card with the same bank, changing the billing address would affect all the products you have with them.

It is possible to have a billing address that’s different from your home address. This is common for business and corporate cards. Some financial institutions will also allow you to list an address outside of Canada. This can be handy for people that work remotely. However, to use an international address, you’ll usually need to call in to get your address updated. This step is often required for security issues.

Common issues related to billing addresses

Your billing address may seem trivial, but it’s a vital piece of information. If you’ve recently moved, you should make sure your information is updated so all documents are sent to your new address. In addition, there are a few issues that may occur if your billing address is incorrect:

• You may not receive your documents: Any important documents, including account updates and new cards, are sent to your billing address.

• Your online purchases may be declined: Some online retailers require you to enter your billing address to process your purchases.

• You might become a victim of fraud: In the event sensitive documents are sent to your old address, your information could be exposed to fraudsters.

What to do if you've recently moved or changed your address

Try to update your billing address information right away. Not only will this ensure that your documents are going to the right address, but the change will also be reported to the credit bureaus. This will help you ensure your credit profile is up to date.

Another good idea is to pay for mail forwarding from Canada Post. If you were to purchase a one year plan, all letters to your old address would be forwarded to your new home. This will allow you to catch any merchants or financial institutions that you’ve forgotten to inform about your new address.

Can you have multiple billing addresses?

It is possible to have different billing addresses if you have more than one account. For example, you could have two different cards with two different billing addresses. However, you can only have one billing address per account at any given time.

The bottom line

Finding your billing address is easy and it only takes a few minutes to update. While it’s easy to forget to make the change, switching things is important since it can affect your purchasing power, credit profile, and security.