by Rebecca Eve Selkowe, J.D
The best way to use your credit card is to pay the balance in full every month – that way, you don’t have credit card debt and you don’t pay interest. However, if you are using your credit card all the time, the balance will never be $0.
(It’s very confusing.)
Credit cards work on a “statement cycle” and a “grace period.” The easiest way to understand what this means is to use an example. Let’s say your Visa bill is due on the 20th of every month, and your statement cycle ends on the 23rd. Let’s say it’s February. How do you know what to pay this month?
Everything you charged from December 24 to January 23 (and anything you hadn’t completely paid off up to that point) makes up your January statement balance. That January statement balance will be due on or before February 20. If you pay the entire January statement balance sometime between January 23 and February 20, you won’t pay any interest. WOO HOO!
BUT! If you used the card in February, you’re still going to see a balance on the card when you pay it on the 20th. Not to fear… on February 23 that statement cycle will close and everything you charged from January 24 to February 23 will be due on or before March 20!
