What happens when you make a payment less than the minimum due and your credit balance is still above zero?
If the company sends you a letter saying they’re using their right to do so, they can apply any amount of your payment against this balance. They may also apply it to pay off an account with them (but not any other debts). You’ll need to check your account statement to see how this has been done.
How minimum payment works
The minimum payment is the smallest amount you can pay to avoid incurring interest. You should make every effort to pay more on your credit card bill, but if you can’t, there’s no need to worry— paying the minimum payment on a credit card will cover your interest charges and keep your account in good standing.
How much money do you need to send? It depends on how much is owed, what kind of plan it’s on (fixed or variable), whether there are any promotional rates in place and whether there is an annual fee. All these things affect the amount of money needed for each month’s minimum payment.
Interest rate effect
The interest rate is a factor of the credit card company, and it affects how much you pay in total. If you have a high-interest credit card, you’ll pay more in fees than if your card had a lower rate.
The minimum monthly payment is also affected by your interest rate. When you’re making a minimum payment for your credit card balance, it’s based on how much money you owe and what percentage that amount represents of the total cost of your debt (including interest).
This means that if you have $5,000 worth of debt with an annual percentage rate (APR) of 20%, your minimum monthly payment will be higher than someone who has $5,000 worth of debt but whose APR is 15%.
Schedule is also a factor
You might be surprised to know that your payment schedule is also a factor in keeping your credit balance low. The more you pay, the faster you can pay off your balance. If you only pay the minimum amount due on each of your monthly bills, it will take much longer for them to get paid off and stay away from having any more late fees added on top of them.
Interest rate matters
The relationship between interest rate and the minimum payment is one of the most important factors to consider when deciding how to pay off your debt. A higher interest rate will mean a lower minimum payment because it takes more time for you to pay off your debt if you’re only paying the minimum.
The opposite is also true: if your credit card has a lower interest rate than average, then your minimum payments might actually be too low for you—meaning that it would be better to make larger payments towards your balance each month in order to pay it off faster.
According to SoFi professionals, “Per the Credit CARD Act of 2009, credit card companies are required to put a minimum balance warning on each bill you receive to protect your interests.”
You can use the minimum payment for your credit card balance, but you need to know the rules. The key is to make sure that your plan allows enough money in your budget for at least one thing: paying off debt. But ultimately, you should always be looking for ways to pay off debt faster and save more money every month.