How do you all pay your bill each month?

poppie123

I have had my Barclaycard now for just over a year and each month i have always paid via my Barclaycard account in full using my debit card.

Alot of my friends pay via direct debit and i was seriously going to set it up just to pay the whole amount each month.

However, having just gone through having fraudulent transactions on my account i am kind of pleased i didn't. Am i right in thinking that if i had of had it set up then it would have taken the whole amount including the transaction that wasn't mine? this would have meant i was paying a bill for over £600 when only £130 of it was mine.

How does everyone pay their bill?

scottishblondie

Full balance by direct debit. I check my CC accounts online each day just in case of anything untoward.

Debt_Free_Dreamer

Barclaycard and AMEX - DD payment in full
MBNA 0% Card - DD Minimum payment

Paul_Herring

Same as DFD - all cards except those on 0% in full by DD, 0% cards minimum by DD.

[Deleted User]

pay all the min payment by dd so i dont get stung for late payment,then pay any extra using the statement at my bank

Roustabout

I don't have a Credit Card but if I did I would pay it in full in the branch.

danouk

I have minimum payment DD's set up for both my cards but always pay in full by Debit Card (Barclaycard card) or by bank transfer (HSBC card)

parallax_20

I generally avoid setting up any DD if I can, as I hate money being taken out of my account without my knowledge. Some things you can't avoid like mortgage payments, Sky/Virgin subscriptions, and mobile phone contracts which I can live with as its generally a fixed amount that can be budgeted around. But anything that can vary like a credit card bill then I would want to be in control of that myself on when it gets paid, for the exact reason you mention "fraud". I've been lucky with Barclaycard so far as they've always caught and notified me of strange spends on my account.

My Barclaycard bill is checked when it arrives and doesn't get paid until the end of the month. After pay day, I check my Barclaycard online again for the latest balance and pay the lot off using Barclays online banking. Only 1 day to clear. That way I know I have a clear balance for next month, which makes keeping track of my purchases much easier as I don't have to worry about stuff bought mid way from the previous month.

If you don't have online banking, I would recommend you sign up as it makes managing your accounts much easier and making bill payments a doodle.

chattychappy

I've never signed a DD. I'd rather choose when to pay, how to pay and out of which current account I'll pay. Also it's just the principle of the thing. Yep people sometimes forget - and one day I might forget and incur a charge, but I'm happy with that. People with DDs sometimes get confused when they make extra payments, have them bounce for various reasons, so things can still go wrong. Looking at the threads, for every person that would have been saved by a DD, there's another that had a problem with one.

In the end, if you're organised you won't have a problem whether or not you use DDs. If you're lazy, then you'll get into trouble either way.

My first choice is pay by debit card on the credit card's own website (not offered by all cards).
My second choice is to pay by internet banking from my current account(s).

chattychappy

poppie123 wrote: »

Am i right in thinking that if i had of had it set up then it would have taken the whole amount including the transaction that wasn't mine? this would have meant i was paying a bill for over £600 when only £130 of it was mine.

Yes, it would have done unless you intervened in time and hopefully you would have done.

jamesd

A capped amount direct debit payment on the card I use most, so that it can't debit more than I'll have in funds and overdraft facility, adjusted if necessary so that the whole balance is cleared.

For cards at 0%, direct debit for minimum payment plus £1 standing order a few days before the payment date, so the minimum payment only flag isn't set in my credit report.

I also note the payment due dates and amounts when the bills arrive and set up transfers from a savings account sufficient to cover the upcoming bills.