Direct debit on a zero balance

phelaphant

Hi all first time poster long time reader!

Heres my story! I have a student account with an overdraft with RBS. I also have a credit card with RBS.

On the 1st sept I paid off a balance of £240 on the credit card - so my balance was then zero. 2 and a half weeks later, RBS decided to take the minimum £5 payment through a direct debit on my student account. Needless to say, I was not expecting this and so didn't have enough in my student account to cover this.

My reward for this misjudgement was a £10 fine from the credit card and a £38 fine from the student account!

I must also add that on the same date, I paid off two other credit cards. Yet these two cards (capital one, natwest) didn't try to take any minimum payment!!

The repsonse from RBS credit card department was that the fine is justified! I haven't had a chance to call my account branch.

Can anyone give some advice on this, as I feel it highly unfair to have to payout nearly £50 for what is essentially there error!

Cheers

SimbaSimon

If its the first time you've been hit with a charge from your student account you may be able to get the money back if you explain the situation. However they normally only do this once so if this has already happend before they won't reverse the charge.

Paul_Herring

On the 1st sept I paid off a balance of £240 on the credit card - so my balance was then zero. 2 and a half weeks later, RBS decided to take the minimum £5 payment through a direct debit on my student account.

What you appear to be describing is a payment made in addition to the minimum payment. What some card companies do is still take the minimum amount stated on the last bill if any payment comes in after a certain deadline.

cifpower

The RBS stable of cards (including NatWest and Ulster Bank) will take the minimum payment shown on your statement regardless of any extra payment you make on top.

Moggles_2

The effect of a manual payment, when a direct debit is active on your account, varies between lenders, so we all need to make sure we understand what happens to the DD if we make additional payments.

With Royal Bank of Scotland, no account is taken of any payment made. The amount specified on the statement is automatically collected by DD, unless instructed otherwise.

With Capital One, the DD is recalculated if a payment is made at least x days before the DD is due.