When you’re young, credit cards seem fairly straightforward: the credit card company pays for purchases on your behalf and you pay them back. Then, you start learning more about credit, interest, and other financial ins and outs and you realize that the system is more complicated than simple dollars and cents.
You know that it’s important to understand your interest rate on your credit cards, but another piece of data you might not think about is your statement closing date. Dive into these four key facts to understand what your statement closing date is and why it matters.
About Your Credit Card Statement Closing Date
Your credit card statement closing date is the day when the credit card company closes out the fiscal month on your credit card. Your interest and minimum payment amount are both based on the dollar amount the credit card company sees on that closing date.
Essentially, think of this as the day when they check the status of your account balance. People in a weight loss program have weigh-ins, and credit card holders have statement closing dates.
How Your Statement Closing Date Affects Your Expenses?
If you’re on a budget or keeping an eye on your finances, your statement closing date affects your monthly expenses in concrete ways.
First, credit card companies charge interest based on the balance on your card on that closing date. If your card has a balance of $1,000 and you pay it in full on the day of closing, you pay no interest on it. If you pay it in full on the day after closing, you pay interest on the full $1,000.
Your next minimum payment is also calculated using the balance you had on your closing date. While it’s not wise to make only the minimum payment on a credit card, there may be times when money is tight and it’s your only option. In these cases, that minimum could be significantly higher or lower depending on what your balance is on your closing date.
How Your Statement Closing Date Affects Your Credit
If you’re paying attention to your credit, you may know that one significant factor in your credit score is your credit utilization ratio. This is the percentage of your revolving credit that you’re currently using.
To clarify, “revolving credit” is any type of credit you can use, pay off, and then re-use. For instance, credit cards are revolving credit because you can max them out, pay down the balance, and then re-use the balance that you had paid off. The same is true for lines of credit. This is different from credit products like car loans which you simply receive once and pay off once.
To calculate your credit utilization ratio, credit bureaus total up your credit limits for all your credit cards and other forms of revolving credit. Then, they total up the balances on all those revolving credit products and see what percentage of your available credit is being used. When the credit card companies report your data to the credit bureaus every month, they report your balance as it was on your statement closing date.
So, for calculation’s sake, let’s say you have one credit card with a $1,000 limit and you use it to make a $500 purchase. If you pay it off the day before your closing date, your credit utilization ratio is 0%. If you pay it off the day after your closing date, that ratio is 50%, which can visibly hurt your credit score.
How to Use Your Statement Closing Date Wisely
Now that you understand your statement closing date and how it affects you, how can you put that knowledge to good use?
Start by checking when your closing date is. It should be on the same date every month, although credit card companies will occasionally change that date so check your closing date every so often.
Then, put your monthly closing date on the calendar so you always know when it will be. Finally, if possible, put a recurring monthly reminder on your calendar to make your payment several days before your closing date.
This way, you’ll always have the lowest possible balance when your closing date rolls around. Your wallet and your credit score will thank you.
Getting Informed to Improve Your Credit
Your credit report is such a vital part of your financial stability and your ability to access things you need like housing, utility company accounts, and even jobs. The first step toward improving and protecting that all-important credit score and your overall financial health is to learn about key factors like credit card statement closing dates.
For more helpful information to empower your financial health, explore our blogs and resources.
6 Responses
This was very helpful. I understand what is needed now.
This was very helpful. I understand what is needed now.
You mentioned that interest is determined by the account balance on your closing date, however I had a credit card that calculated interest based on my balance starting the day after my payment due date. I had paid my minimum payment prior to the due date and then decided to pay off my balance after the due date but prior to my closing date. The next billing cycle I still had a minimum payment to make due to the interest I was charged. I share this to say be sure to read the fine print of your credit agreement so you’ll know when and how interest is calculated on your balance.
Your payment due date is the date your payment is due (duh, lol); this is different from your billing cycle. Your billing cycle can be from the 1st to the 30th of every month. Your bill is due on the 20th of the following month. Interest will accrue on any left ove rbalances or new charges from the 1st – 30th no matter when your payment is due. So, the billing cycle, billing period, and payment due date are 3 different things. I have a video on it here: https://youtu.be/NQp3NEo9hu8
Yeah I don’t quite understand the statement that interest is charged after the statement date I have Capital One at about 3 weeks after the statement day comes the due date and after that is when interest is charged.
If you are starting at a $0 balance and you charge $1000 during your billing cycle; when your billing cycle ends (closing date), you will get a billing statement. If you pay that $1000 bill in full, you’re good. You will not pay interest. If you do NOT pay it in full, you will be charged interest that has accrued on that $1000 balance. If you already have a balance (meaning you’re starting at $500 vs $0) you’re already paying interest on that past balance that you carried over. Whatever NEW charges you make, you will not pay interest on it UNLESS you carry a balance over to the new biling cycle again. Yes, it’s confusing, Capital One is actually pretty good about how interest accrues, I’ve called a few times in the past 🙂