Guide to Paying Your Credit Card Bill Online (2024)

Onlinecreditcardbillpayment is one of the easiest and most convenient ways to help manage yourcredit. But it is helpful to know how exactly to go about it and what you would need to set up your account.

Different ways of making credit card payments online

There are different ways that you can pay yourcreditcardbillonline:

What are the benefits of online credit card payments?

There are many benefits when you pay your creditcardonline, including having instant access to many services to help you manage your account. For example, you have 24/7 access to:

How to create an online account to pay your credit card bill

To pay yourcreditcardbillonline, you will need to create an account with yourcreditcardissuer. To do so, you have to register your account, and you might be asked for the following information:

You may also have to create a username and password to sign into your account in the future. Be sure to keep this information in your records. Once you have made your online account, you'll be able to check your balance, review transactions,paybills, and more (depending on yourcreditcardcompany).

How to pay your credit card bill online

You have different options as to how you can pay yourbilleach month. Typically, you can make manual, automatic, and one-time payments on yourcreditcardcompany's online cardmember portal. You can make these payments through yourdebitcardor with your bank information using Automated Clearing House (ACH) payments.

ACH payments, also called ACH transfers, let you to transfer money from one account (like abank account) to make apayment on another(like on yourcreditcardaccount). You can set up ACH payments as one-time or even recurring automatic charges. Typically, you need to provide yourcreditcardaccountinformation and banking information, like yourrouting andaccount number. Sometimes you can automatically connect these accounts using youronline bankingcredentials if yourcreditcardcompanyallows it.

When to pay yourcreditcardbillonline

By law (specifically theCARDAct of 2009), yourcreditcardbillmust be due on the same date each month. Since your due date will be the same, it makes it easier to budget for yourcreditcardbillpayment. You should try paying yourbillon the same day each month to avoid missed charges and fees.

Somecreditcardcompanies allow you to connect yourbank accountto yourcreditcardaccount, so you can makeautomatic paymentsvia your bank every month. Withautomatic payments, you can set things up so that yourcreditcard companydeducts a recurring amount every month from yourbank account.Automatic paymentsmay help you avoid late or missed payments.

Keep track of your credit card bill with mobile alerts

Moreover, somecreditcardcompanies will allow you to set up mobile alerts, where you'll get notified about your due date when you make apayment, when your statement is available, and more.

How do manage payments on more than one credit card?

If you have more than onecreditcard, you may be able to request the same due date for all of your accounts. To do this, contact your credit card issuer or make the request through your account profile online. With the same due date on all your cards, you won't have to keep track of differentpaymentdates.

How much to pay on yourcreditcardbill

When you view yourcreditcardstatementonline, you will see your statement balance,minimumpayment, and your current balance. But what does this mean, and how does it factor into the amount you have to pay each month?

Paying your statement balance

Yourstatement balance(also called your new balance) is the amount of money you spent during the previous billing cycle. When you pay off your statement balance, this is also considered paying your statement off in full.

Paying your minimum balance

Your minimum payment is the least amount you need to pay in a billing period to avoid a missedpaymentand keep your account in good standing. “Good standing” means you won't be hit with a penalty orlate fee. If you make theminimumpayment, the remainder of your balance is carried over into the next month. You’ll still need to pay what's left, but as long as you make the minimum amount due, you can wait to pay it.

If you’re on a tight budget you can make the minimum payment, but one downside is that any balance you have left will continue to be charged interest, so you’ll run the risk of accumulating creditcarddebtif you can't keep up.

Paying your current balance

Your current balance is the amount of money you have spent to date. This includes your statement balance plus any purchases posted on your account after the end of your billing cycle.

What happens if I miss a credit card payment?

If you miss a credit card payment, you may get hit with late fees, penaltyinterestrates, or have your missed payments reported tocreditreporting agencies (which can impact yourcreditscore). Paying yourcreditcardbill online may help you keep track of your spending and makecreditcardbillpaymenteasier.