Avoid Those Credit Card Late Fees like the Plague
If you have a credit card, you should read this article. If you have never before had a late
payment and received a late fee, then you don't know how quickly they can add up,
leading to a mounting balance that many people simply cannot afford to pay. Each time
you get charged that late payment fee, you will also be charged more in interest charges
because of having a higher balance, and before you know it, you will be over your credit
limit, and be getting charged fees for that as well. If you can't come up with the funds to
make a massive sized payment, you could be in real trouble, so please, don't let this
happen to you.
Of course, the obvious way to keep from getting those late fees is to always make your
credit card payment on time, but in some instances, that is easier said than done.
Sometimes you may fall behind due to unexpected expense, illness, job loss, or you may
not get a statement, and therefore miss your payment through no fault of your own.
Whatever the reason, you can bet that your credit card company will be ready and willing
to capitalize on it by slapping that late fee on there the day the payment is late!
Your credit card company sees no good reason for you to be late with your payment,
whatever that reason may be. Although it may seem like a real, legitimate reason to you,
odds are, they will only see the fact that your payment is late, and that is all they will be
interested in. Of course, you have to maintain your home, your utilities, and put food on
the table, but don't make the mistake of postponing your credit card payment, even if you
really feel that there is a good reason.
When you get your credit card statement, it is easy to look at the balance and the interest
rate and get so disgusted that you don't want to pay anything at all, but that is the last
thing you should do. Where your statement shows the minimum payment due and the due
date, you should always make certain that at the very least you get that amount in by the
date shown, or you will be assessed that $35 late fee. If you get more funds later in the
month and want to send them in, great, that will bring your balance down and save you
some money in interest next month, but don't wait until you get the large amount to make
your payment, if it means you will be late. There is no good reason to hand that credit
card company anymore money than you have to!
Unless you make large purchases or payments on your credit card, or get assessed late
fees, over the limit fees, or annual fees, your monthly minimum payment will always be
about the same amount, so when you get paid, even if you haven’t gotten your statement
yet, you might want to go ahead and send that amount in. When your statement does
arrive, if you find that you didn't send enough money in, go ahead right away and send in
the remainder. Doing it this way will make certain you don't spend the money while you
are waiting for your statement to arrive.
If you find yourself in a situation where you know your payment will be late and there is
absolutely nothing you can do about it, call the credit card company and explain it to
them, and see if you can either get a fee waiver, or skip that month's payment. In some
cases, depending upon the type of card you have, you may be able to skip one monthly
payment one time each year, as long as your card isn't past due, so this might be an
option that you can take advantage of, you will never know until you call and ask!
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