warning! check statement for changes in when they want payment

scrimping_steff

My husband got stung for late payment charges last month, even though we pay by direct debit. We are paying off his cards by transfering to 0% interest on balance transfers, then paying off as much as we can each month. Always more than the minimum.

This month he noticed he had a late payment charge, which I couldnt understand at first as we have a direct debit set up which in theory means this can't happen. But last month they changed the pay by date to five days earlier than normal, we didn't notice just assumed all was as usual and so of course our direct debit was now late. This month the pay by date has gone back to the normal date, and our direct debit is fine again.

SO CHECK YOUR DATES PEOPLE, WE GOT STUNG FOR £12!!!!

RayWolfe

The CC company collect the DD. It has nothing to do with you. If the DD was collected late that is their problem, not yours. Assuming the "late" DD was paid by your bank, the CC company have made a mistake. Tell them.

BenL

Also check you have not been taken off the 0% rate.

The CC company can say you have broke the terms and cons of the account and can put you onto their normal interest rates.

Ben

Squire_Fulwood

I had a thread on this site a couple of weeks ago where I described the same thing happening to me. What I never checked was whether or not my "Due Date" went back to the old date after the charge was made.

My card is an Alliance and Leicester from MBNA.

If they only put the date forward for one month and then restored it then that smacks of getting an annual charge but by another name and that is even worse than what I suspected them of. I thought mine was a punishment for transferring funds away from them to a 0% account.

dzug

What you say makes more sense if you are paying by standing order rather than direct debit. Many people confuse the terms and think they are the same thing.

If you are actually paying by DD then the CC company should have changed the date of it - if they didn't you should be able to get your charges back.

If you are paying by standing order then it was your responsibility to notice the change and tell your bank to pay on the new date. The CC company may be sympathetic but don't count on it.

scrimping_steff

your right it is a standing order, Its another card that has the DD.

I have checked and my 0% interest is still intact thank goodness.