Introduction
When it comes to managing one’s finances, one can do many things to improve their situation.
Depending on their unique circumstances and priorities, people make different decisions.
Many people have the best credit card in India, but only a few are more disciplined than others when paying their bills on time.
When a card issuer sends the monthly bill, the cardholder has almost one month to pay the bill; paying the bill early seems to be the most responsible course of action.
The common misconception is that as long as a person pays the minimum amount due on time, they can carry over the balance.
As a result, people get into a debt trap and might be charged penalties and interest charges.
Not only will they avoid paying a lot of interest by paying their bill on time and in full, but doing so will also help improve their credit score.
Moreover, to select the best credit card in India, research and compare different credit cards.
Understand Your Billing Cycle
The billing cycle is the time it takes to generate your credit card statement.
For illustration, suppose the credit card statement is delivered on the seventh of every month.
This indicates that your billing cycle runs from the eighth of the previous month until the seventh of this month.
Your monthly credit card statement will show any purchases made with your card, including withdrawals, EMIs, card payments, etc.
You are given a grace period, a gap between the billing cycle and the due date.
Following the grace period, the due date occurs, and cardholders must pay the corresponding payments.
However, you can pay the bill before the deadline; failing to do so will result in late fees and additional costs.
Should I Make an Early Credit Card Payment?
Paying your credit card bill in advance is preferable when compared to doing it after the due date.
If you have received the bill and have the funds available to pay it that day, you ought to do so. The following reasons will justify the same.
1. No Interest
The first reason to make an early payment is to avoid interest payments or penalties.
Your balance will continue to accrue interest if you do not make a complete payment until it is paid off. The interest rate will increase as that period becomes longer.
2. Makes budgeting easier
If you have a set amount of money that needs to be spent every month, paying off your credit card bill early makes budgeting easier because it gives you more money for other things.
In addition, you will know more precisely how much of your remaining monthly budget is available for discretionary expenditures.
3. Reduce your chance of being late on a payment
You will need to be extremely cautious to make your payment before the deadline if you wait until the due day to make your card payment.
You will be penalised for making a late payment if you are even a minute late.
Making early payments will help you avoid the stress of making a last-minute credit card payment.
4. Improve credit score
Making an early payment can help boost your credit score by reducing the amount of negative information about the account in the reports used by lenders when evaluating applications for new loans or credit cards.
Paying up the credit card account far before the due date demonstrates control over your debt and financial situation.
5. Free up your credit limit
Your credit card payment may take one to several days to deposit to your account, reflect in your balance, and affect your available credit.
Paying in advance of the due date could be useful for you if you need to release some credit limit so you can make purchases.
6. Peace of mind
With no interest, penalties, or other late fees to worry about, paying off your debt each month early might give you peace of mind.
How can you pay off your credit card balance?
The following options are available to cardholders for making their credit card bill payment: NEFT/IMPS, Cheque, WebPay, Over the Branch Counter, Mobile Banking, Net Banking, and Mobile Banking.
Conclusion
Credit cards offer convenience, reward points, and discounts and can save money.
By paying off the credit card balance before the due date, one can save money, boost their credit score, free up credit for further purchases, and feel at ease knowing that the account has been paid in full.
Further, paying the bills on time demonstrates financial responsibility and aids in the development of positive behavioural patterns.
Also, paying the bills ahead of time could give an advantage over other applicants because lenders frequently offer reduced interest rates to people with strong credit scores.