Especially after the arrival of contactless cards, the payment process by card or mobile has been greatly simplified. One of the phases of this process is usually when the person responsible for making the payment asks us “Do you want a copy?”
You have probably said yes on some occasion, but based on accumulating these dataphone tickets you have chosen not to do so because you believe that it is useless. Are you doing okay?
What to reply to “Do you want a copy?”
According to the recommendations of the Bank of Spain, it is not considered that we necessarily need a copy, which acts as a safeguard for the point of sale terminal (POS), either when paying directly at the cashier or through a dataphone. As they say «you really don’t need it and, in addition, this way you protect the environment«.
However, that does not mean that you do not perform some checks in the payment process. The ECB warns: “Before responding negatively, make sure that you have been charged the appropriate amount and that it appears like this on the POS screen.”
- when you make a payment contactless, when you bring your card to the POS, check the amount on the screen and make sure it is correct. The copy can help you to keep an adequate control of your expenses.
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Save the purchase receipt from the store. This way you can verify that the amount of the charge on the card coincides with that of the purchase. Remember that in many businesses there is the possibility of obtaining an electronic ticket.
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Check the card charges in your account to keep track of the operations you carry out.
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Ask your entity about the possibility of sending you an SMS message every time a charge is made on your card.
Dangerous for the environment and your health
Of the approximately 11.2 billion paper receipts that are delivered in Spain each year, half are not recyclable and are covered with the toxic chemical Bisphenol A –also called BPA– and, in some cases, also with the substance BPS, less known and also toxic, as told a study from the University of Granada.
90% of purchase tickets or receipts, those in which the ink fades over time because they are made with so-called ‘thermal paper’, contain bisphenol-A, a known endocrine disruptor that alters hormonal balance in exposed people and leads to hormonal diseases. The health risks of the presence of BPA in paper receipts should not be overlooked. This chemical compound is associated with:
- hormonal imbalances
- Increased risk of infertility, miscarriage, and premature birth
- Prostate cancer
- Type 2 diabetes
- Changes in children’s behavior
- Impaired development of the brain and nervous system
- Heart disease
- Obesity
As for the environmental impact, it should not be overlooked either. It is estimated that, globally, around 300 billion paper receipts are produced each year, consuming 25 million trees, 18 billion liters of water and 22 million barrels of oil in the process.
In addition, BPA is not only bad for your health – it can’t be recycled either because more of the chemical would be released into the air and pollute the groundwater in the process. For this reason, it should be emphasized not to have these receipts in the paper container.
