When Is Best Time to Pay Credit Card Bill

Credit card bills are delivered via regular snail mail or, if requested, through email. Some credit card companies will actually deliver both ways.  You can receive the notice through email and then receive the written statement through the mail.

Credit card statements are sent according to the billing cycle of the credit card company.  Some may be 30 days while others may be every 21 days.  The billing cycle is set forth in your initial application with the credit card company. 

Too often, people wait until the last day to pay their credit card bill.  Unfortunately, this is a big mistake.  Every credit card statement has a statement date and a due date.

The statement date is important to keep track of what charges have already be applied to your credit card. Charges that have not appeared, will most certainly do so on the next statement.

The due date is important in maintaining a good credit score.  It is vital to send the credit card company a payment in advance of the due date.  If payment is not received by the company by the due date, a late fee will be incurred.  In addition, the credit card company can put a 30 day late notice on your credit report which will affect your credit score. 

The best thing to do is to send a credit card payment at least one week in advance of the due date so that you are sure that payment has been received and posted.  It is even better to set up a budget so that a payment can be made as soon as you receive the bill.