A credit card lets you borrow an amount to facilitate your transactions. So, you must pay it back in full by the due date. Then interest won’t be charged on the outstanding amount. And paying in time can help ward off late payment charges.
Some credit cards help clear the bills faster. A free complimentary international lounge access credit card can reduce your travel expenses. Some cards like the wealth credit card charge a low interest, no annual fees, zero over-the-limit fees and no reward redemption fees. With fewer charges, you can clear bill payments faster.
Once you plan wisely to pay bills faster, here are 5 tips to help you clear them on time.
#1 – Change the Payment Due Date
Your credit card issuer has specified a date to pay the balance. This date will remain the same every month. But, if you usually aren’t able to pay on that date, request the card issuer to change it. For instance, you can delay the due date of a month a bit.
Here are some cases for which you may change the payment date:
- You prefer to pay all the payments around the same time.
- You have several payments due at once that’s difficult for you to clear.
#2 – Mark the Payment Dates on Your Calendar
Make a calendar note that can remind you of the payment due date at least a day in advance. If you rely on a paper calendar, build a habit of checking it regularly. Else it’s better to set an automatic reminder on your computer or mobile phone.
#3 – Choose Automated Bill Payments
Here are the steps to use automated online credit card bill payments from your bank account:
- Check if your bank offers this option.
- If it does, choose a date for automatic payments which is at least one day before the due date. This can help when the due dates fall on weekends or holidays.
- Provide a standing instruction to your bank to set the payment date accordingly.
#4 – Use the Bills as Your Reminder
You’ll get a credit card bill 2-3 weeks before the payment date. So, you need not wait to clear the bill. It’s better to pay it at once if you can. Then you won’t forget about it. Plus, there won’t be chances of late payments. But if you lose the bill in the mail or misplace it, you may miss your payment. So, better use other triggers also.
#5 – Pay Your Bills When You Get Paid
You can use your payday to remind you to make credit card bill payments. If one cheque can’t help clear all your bills, try splitting them up as per their due dates and amounts.
A final tip! Try to keep paying the credit card balance in small amounts as and when you can. Ensure that the full bill is thus paid down by the due date. Once the dues don’t accumulate, you won’t have to take the trouble of remembering to pay them all at once!
