Can I change my credit card due date?
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Updated 1:34 p.m. UTC Feb. 7, 2024
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Do you ever feel like all of your bills seem to be due at the same time when you’d rather spread them out to match your pay periods? Or maybe your bills are due throughout the month and you’d rather pay them all at once so it’s easier to keep track? Whatever your reason, sometimes changing your credit card due date can make it easier to manage your payments.
The good news is most credit card companies will let you change your statement due date. We’ll cover how to change the due date on your credit card, the best time to pay your credit card bill and how due dates and statement dates differ.
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Can you change the due date on your credit card?
The short answer is yes — you can most likely make a change to your credit card’s due date. That said, it depends on your specific credit card issuer.
Most issuers allow cardholders to make this request either online or by phone. In some cases, you may be limited to how frequently you can make a due date change. Also keep in mind that a change may not be instant — it can take a billing cycle or two to take effect.
How to change your due date
Changing your credit card due date usually requires you to make a formal request, either online or by phone with your issuer. To do so online, log on to your account on a web browser or sign in to the issuer’s app and look for an option under account services that lets you request a due date change. Otherwise, call the customer service number on the back of your card and speak to a representative.
Statement date vs. due date: What’s the difference?
When it comes to credit card management, there are two key dates you need to be aware of: statement date and due date. Your statement date, sometimes called the closing date, is when your account activity for the billing cycle is totaled and a bill is made available to you for payment. Any purchases made after this date will appear on the next month’s bill.
As the name implies, the due date is the last day that you can make a payment before a late fee is incurred. By law, a due date must be at least 21 days after the statement date, but it may be a few days longer depending on the card.
So for example, if your statement date is July 5, you can expect that your due date would be on or around July 26.
When should you pay your credit card bill?
Your obligation is to pay your credit card bill by its due date, but if you can do so a couple of days earlier, that’s even better. You never know when a tech glitch, mailing delay or life event might cause your payment not to go through on time, so it’s good to have a cushion just in case.
Better still, set up an automatic payment for the minimum amount due each month a couple of days before the due date. You can (and should) make an additional payment up to the full amount, but autopay protects you from accidentally forgetting to get your payment in on time.
Note that the best practice is to pay your bill in full every billing cycle, as this allows you to take advantage of your credit card’s grace period and avoid potentially expensive interest charges.
How well do you know your credit card’s interest rate? Here’s what a good APR means.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
A credit card billing cycle is the period of time — usually around a month — between one statement date and the next. Also called a billing period or statement period, any transactions made during a billing cycle will appear on your next credit card bill.
If you can pay your credit card bill in full, that is always the best option. Don’t fall for the misconception that it’s better for your credit score to keep a small balance. Paying in full will prevent interest from accruing, and it keeps your credit healthy since your utilization (a key factor in credit scoring that refers to the amount of available credit being used) will remain low.
Many issuers allow you to change your credit card due date online. For example, Discover is one popular credit card issuer that makes it easy to submit a request online, offering a “payments” tab in your online account with one of the options in that menu being “change payment due date.” With some issuers, however, you may have to make a request by phone.
Changing your credit card due date in and of itself will not have any effect on your credit score. But be sure that you pay attention to when the change goes into effect. It might not happen for a billing cycle or two, and if you end up missing your payment as a result, that will have a negative impact on your score. Paying on time is the most important factor in building good credit, accounting for up to 35% of your score.
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