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Key takeaways
- The exact time your credit card payment will post to your account depends on your payment method and your issuer’s payment rules, as well as the rules outlined by the Truth in Lending Act.
- If you pay electronically, your credit card payment should generally post within a few business days, but if you pay by mail, it might take a little longer.
- If you’re curious about a pending payment on your account, your best bet is to contact your issuer for a more exact timeline.
When it comes to your credit card bill, you likely have a variety of payment methods available to use — all of which have varying processing speeds. These can create a bit of confusion and leave you wondering when your credit card payment will actually post. If you’re near your credit limit, you might even be waiting on your payment to post so you have additional credit freed up for your use.
So, how long does it actually take for a credit card payment to post? Let’s break down that answer here.
When will my credit card payment post?
When a payment is posted to your account, that means your issuer has acknowledged the payment and finished processing it.
The exact time that your credit card bill payment posts to your account depends on your card issuer and your payment method — but also on the Truth in Lending Act.
What about purchases made with your credit card?
If you used a credit card to pay an online merchant and are wondering when that payment will switch from pending to posted, that depends largely on the merchant. Some online merchants might wait until your product has shipped before they ask your issuer for payment, while others might charge your card immediately, resulting in your payment posting the same day or within a few business days.
How the Truth in Lending Act governs card payments
The Truth in Lending Act (TILA) protects consumers when it comes to predatory lending practices and makes it illegal for lenders to mislead consumers.
As a lender, your card issuer has to follow the rules stated in this act in regards to when it should post your card payment. This includes:
- Sending out your card statement in a timely manner. You’re required to get your card statement at least 21 days before your payment is due. Your due date should also be the same each month. Your issuer could set it for the same date each month, such as the seventh day of the month, or set it as the last day of each month.
- Setting the cutoff time to receive your payment as 5 p.m. or later. This means that you’ll have at least a full business day to submit your payment if you want it to count for that day. If you make an in-person payment at a branch that has an earlier closing time than 5 p.m., however, you would have to pay before that branch closes for the day for the payment to be considered on time.
- Having clear exemptions for federal holidays and weekends. If your payment due date falls on a federal holiday or over the weekend and your issuer receives your mailed payment the following business day, the issuer should consider it a timely payment that does not incur a fine. However, if you choose to make an electronic or phone payment and your bank accepts such payments on the due date, you would have to get it in by the due date’s cutoff time.
If your card issuer receives your bill payment in a timely manner, it should be credited on the same business day. If you make your payment after the cutoff time, the bank should credit it the next business day. However, if the bank does not charge you a finance fee or other charge as a result, it could delay crediting your payment.
How issuer requirements can affect your card payments
Card issuers also tend to set their own requirements for making bill payments. For instance, they could say that you should include your account number with your payment, or specify that payments be made to a certain address.
Your issuer can also flag a specific payment method as their preferred method, meaning that any payment done using that method would have to be credited on the day the issuer receives the payment.
If you don’t follow the issuer’s specific requirements but it still accepts your payment, the issuer would still have to post your payment within five days of receiving it.
What can delay the posting of your credit card bill payment
If your bill payment has been delayed, it could be for the following reasons:
- You made your payment on a weekend or holiday.
- You made an error when submitting your payment.
- Your issuer is dealing with a processing error.
- Your issuer made payment process changes.
If the delay is on the issuer’s side and you still made your payment on time, then you shouldn’t have to worry about late fees. For example, let’s say that your bank makes changes to the way it processes your payment, or to the address you typically mail your payment to. If these changes cause the bank to delay crediting your payment to your account in the 60-day period following the change, the bank isn’t supposed to charge you a late fee or any other fine.
Things to remember when paying your credit card bill
To make sure your payment posts in a timely manner, follow these tips:
- Make sure you have the right address. If you’re paying by mail, make sure you’re using the issuer’s included payment envelope, and doublecheck the address you’re sending your payment to. If you don’t have a payment envelope, find the payment address on your billing statement, or contact your issuer to get the right address.
- Doublecheck your autopay settings. If your account is set on autopay, make sure you know whether your autopay is set to pay off your bill in full or just for the minimum payment due. Make sure you also have enough in your account to cover the payment.
Watch your credit
Even though a bank is required to post your payment, following the Truth in Lending Act, it doesn’t have to free up your credit immediately. It could delay making the credit available to you in some circumstances. However, if the bank does decide to delay your payment credit, it can’t charge you a fee for going over your credit limit, even if you have opted into this feature.
The bottom line
If you’re waiting for a payment from a merchant to finish processing, your wait time will be influenced by the merchant and when it chooses to collect payment.
Precise processing times for credit card bill payments, on the other hand, vary by issuer, so it’s best to call your card company if you’re curious about a pending credit card bill payment. In general, it is safe to assume that most credit card companies process electronic payments in one to two business days. However, don’t fret if it is taking a bit longer, especially if you’ve submitted your payment on time and you have sufficient funds in your checking account.
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