HSBC credit card help please

Goldcup

I used my credit card to pay for a hotel on 24th August, I have just logged on to pay it off and on 28th August was charged a £12 late fee!!! 4 days after I used the card, seriously how can that be fair?!!!

Besides the point Ive been ill since mid July and yesterday was diagnosed with another infection, just dont need this crap!

Can anyone help please? Do I have to put up with this late fee after 4 days??

DunPin

You've got a late fee because you didn't pay your bill on time, not because you used the card to pay for the hotel.

Being ill isn't an excuse I'm afraid, you get statements in the post about when they're going to expect payment so how you missed is beyond me.

Goldcup

DunPin wrote: »

You've got a late fee because you didn't pay your bill on time, not because you used the card to pay for the hotel.

Being ill isn't an excuse I'm afraid, you get statements in the post about when they're going to expect payment so how you missed is beyond me.

Thank you for such a nice reply, very helpful, cheers

SammenForLivet2

Did you not pay the previous months bill or meet the repayment minimum?
I think that's more likely.
I never heard of someone having this problem before.

HSBC normally give 55/56 days (upto) from the purchase, before interest is charged, so this gives you around 20 days from the statement issue date to this being paid.

Why not call them and ask (politely) why this was charged and sometimes, if this is the first occasion, they may refund you and edit your credit file.

Good luck and I hope you get better soon :-)

[Deleted User]

If you used the card to pay for the hotel on the 24th of August then I can guarantee that the hotel bill has nothing to do with your late fee.

Statements are generated (usually) a couple of weeks before payment is due and purchases made after your statement date are put onto your next bill, not the current one.

For example say your statement date is the 15th of August and your payment due date is 29th of August. Spending made from 16th July up until the 15th of August will be due for payment on 29th of August. Spending made AFTER the 15th of August (but before 15th of September - i.e. September's statement date) won't be due for payment until the 29th of September. And so on and so forth.

So you see that something you paid for on 24th of August this month couldn't possibly be due due for payment on 28th of August. You must have been late/made less than the minimum last month.

Call HSBC and ask if they will consider removing the fee. I'd recommend setting up a direct debit to pay the minimum amount each month to avoid this in the future - you can always make additional payments online if you wish.

MisterMotivated

It does seem unlikely that your hotel bill is the reason for this late fee. For this to be the case, then from the date you made the payment, you'd have needed your August statement to be generated in the next day or so, with a payment due date of just a day or so after that. Normally the payment date is 2 weeks or more after the statement date.

It definitely sounds more like the fee is related to late payment of the previous statement amount and nothing to do with the hotel payment.

Goldcup

Thank you for your replies, I telephoned HSBC and explained that I had been in hospital and they immediately refunded the late fee, and I also set up a minimum payment direct debit too

fozmcfc

Good news and get well soon.

planteria

Goldcup wrote: »

I used my credit card to pay for a hotel on 24th August, I have just logged on to pay it off and on 28th August was charged a £12 late fee!!! 4 days after I used the card, seriously how can that be fair?!!!

Besides the point Ive been ill since mid July and yesterday was diagnosed with another infection, just dont need this crap!

Can anyone help please? Do I have to put up with this late fee after 4 days??

there must be some confusion. the fee can't relate to that purchase. you will have a period of 3 weeks (or more?) from your statement date to clear the balance in full. no way can a purchase be late if you paid it 6 days later. was it actually your previous statement that was paid late?

planteria

Lazyloki wrote: »

I'd recommend setting up a direct debit to pay the minimum amount each month to avoid this in the future - you can always make additional payments online if you wish.

i wholeheartedly agree. you want a DD in place to cover the minimum (at least) each month.

incidentally, HSBC have a decent BT deal, but i can't imagine choosing an HSBC card for spending at the moment:think: