If my credit card bill comes late, can I get more time to pay?

Under federal law, a credit card issuer must establish procedures to ensure that statements are mailed to cardholders at least 21 days before a payment is due. However, sometimes there may be a delay in mail delivery, resulting in your statement arriving later than usual.

If you haven’t received your statement when you normally do, contact your credit card company as soon as possible to find out what your balance is. Regardless of whether or not you receive your statement on time, the card company needs to receive your payment by 5 p.m. on the date it’s due in order for it to be considered on time. Sending your payment late can result in late fees as well as interest charges.

In some cases, there may be a grace period between the end of the billing cycle and when your bill is due, but if you know that you won’t be able to make your payment on time, contact your card issuer as soon as possible to find out your options and whether you can make special arrangements for that month.

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