I just recently got my very first credit card, the Discover It Card. I knew it was crucial to have one, as a great credit score is needed for important things. The question I have is in regards to the payment due date. I got the card on August 27th, and was told that the due date is the 2nd of each month.
If I buy something today (August 29), when will I have to pay? I want to start of my credit on a good note.
There is a delay between the billing cycle and when the payment is due, it can vary, but it means you don't pay for any purchases for at least the length of the delay. In cases where you purchase at the beginning of the billing cycle, that's at least a month before you pay, but even in cases where you make purchases at the very last day of your billing cycle it's likely at least 2 weeks before you pay.
Coincidentally I have a card with payments due on the 2nd of each month, the billing cycle ends the 5th of each month. To avoid interest all the purchases I made between July 6 and August 5 need to be paid by September 2nd.
So, most likely your August 29 purchase will be payable October 2nd, but review your documentation to understand when your billing cycle ends.
You should be receiving monthly statements for your credit card, either in paper form or electronically via your online banking system. Each statement will have a list of transaction processed in the billing cycle it covers, the total amount you owe, and the payment due date. You can use this information to determine how much you must pay and by when.
Note that the due date indicates when the payment must be received by the issuer of the card. If your credit card is issued by a bank different from the one you use to make the payment, allow at least three working days, or five, to be safe, for the payment to be processed by both the paying bank and the credit card issuer.
Even if you set up automatic payments, you do want to review each statement to ensure there are no fraudulent or unexpected charges. In most cases, if you don't dispute the wrongly charged amount before your next statement, you'll lose the opportunity.
Note that your bank does not guarantee that you receive the statement each month, only that it makes its best effort to send it. Depending on the level of trust you put in the statement delivery method, you may want to also track your credit card charges and the due date separately, as explained in the other answer, or at least contact the bank if you don't receive the statement on the expected day of the month.
I want to start of my credit on a good note.
Then don't play the "wait as long as possible" game. Keep it simple and pay it off at the end of the calendar month, no matter when you purchased things.
Regularly log into the card's website to monitor your spending, and keep track of it in a spreadsheet. (I say this as someone who was deep in credit card debt.)
Most importantly, as a "safety net", activate your card's website's "automatic minimum payment" facility for those times when you accidentally forget to pay your bill in full at the end of the month. This way, you'll never miss a payment.
Let me explain this to you as easily as I can by keeping it short and simple.
Your credit card payment due date will fall on the same date each month. For example, if your credit card payment is due on the 10th of this month, it will be due on the 10th of every month. Most credit card issuers allow you to change your due date to another date during the month.
Make sure to pay in full and before the due date. Do not make it a habit of making minimum payment as it will make you fall in a debt trap.
