My credit card statement was $230. I didn't have the money to pay it off at once so I made payments. The money that was credited to my account was being used. So I'm asking on the day that my balance is due, do I need to have $230 in my credit available or will it be considered paid off even though the money that was put on the card was being used. I am very new to this. I was able to pay it in full when I first got my statements but I fell behind one month.
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3Could you please make it a bit more clear what you are asking? Your statement balance was $230, and you paid less than that, on time, and the amount you paid was less than the minimum payment, right? So you will be charged interest (calculated in a particular way that benefits the CC company) and you don't need to make another payment until the next statement due date. Your credit available is how much you can charge on the card at any given time- your limit minus the real time balance and perhaps other things.– Spehro 'speff' PefhanyCommented Apr 30, 2015 at 15:15
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I meant greater or equal to the minimum payment...– Spehro 'speff' PefhanyCommented Apr 30, 2015 at 18:09
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Was $230 your statement balance, or was it your minimum payment?– Ben MillerCommented Oct 8, 2016 at 20:33
1 Answer
The debt isn't "paid off" until you've brought the balance back to zero. If you pay less than the full amount, some goes to pay down the balance and some goes to paying interest on the balance, and you're left with a debt on the account (which you add to if you continue using the card or reduce when you make a payment to the card.)
Note that the "grace period" in which you can pay off recent charges without paying interest is often available only when you have paid off the card in full... so carrying a balance costs you money on new charges immediately. Check your statements and plan paperwork to see if this applies to you; if it does that's another reason to pay off this debt as quickly as possible.
Not to mention that credit card interest rates tend to be moderately obscene.