Does Your Credit Card Payment Date Change Every Month?

[pdavids]

This morning I opened my monthly credit card statement from Citibank Visa as it is usually due for payment on the 8th, 9th, or 10th of the month. Sometimes it might be a day or so earlier than that, or even a day or so later. Why it can't be the same date every month I've often wondered about. Lo and behold, this month it was due on April 3rd!

And no sooner have I opened it than there is a call from Citibank asking if I have made my April payment. So she copped a bit of a blast and in reply explained that it was earlier this month because of the "holidays" coming up. Are they catching everyone out on this? - a payment date a week earlier than usual, which has now netted them a late fee, plus extra interest.

I have only ever held a Citibank credit card since I've lived in Thailand. Do other members, with different banks, find that the payment date varies every month or is this peculiar to Citibank? I am considering changing to a bank that has a set date, thereby avoiding surprises and subsequent costs.

[paulandmaneerat]

My HSBC credit card has different payment dates almost every month. Last month was a particularly high month, so I paid in full, a week before the end of the month to be sure that I didn't incur any charges. They accepted the payment, then 4 days later took it again as a direct debit!

Now I have a credit card with a nearly 100,000 baht of debit balance. Last time I checked it still had not been refunded.

Incidentally, also with HSBC (Bangkok) we tried to transfer $5,000 on to the account from another Thai bank last month, but they refused to take it!

P&M

[allane]

I have had a Visa card at Siam Commercial Bank for several years now. The payment date is always the same, plus or minus one day. As far as I can determine, my statement is always printed on the same date., and they seem to give me the benefit if the cutoff date is a Sat., Sun., or holiday, i.e. they print my statement on the following Monday instead of the preceding Friday. The payment due date appears to be 21 days after the print date.

I pay at the ATM which gives me a receipt, and credits my account immediately.

Any foreigner who has been in Thailand for even a week should know enough not to sign a form for any sort of direct debit from your account. The morality of the Thai public may eventually develop to the point where that works as well as it does in the west, but I don't think that I will live to see that day. And, if you are old enough to be reading this, I don't think that you will either.