So I logged in to do my daily banking sweep — BoFA, followed by Mint — and immediately see that something isn’t right with the balance of one of my credit cards. Go check and am super shocked to see a $39 late fee charge. Upon closer inspection I see that the payment I made on October 22, was the same day as my statement closing date, so instead of being applied toward the Nov. 11 payment that was due, they applied it to the previous month’s statement. Ok, some might say I should be more aware of statement closing dates, but this is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard of. It’s just like the credit card companies to PENALIZE folks for paying bills early. I say, if you’ve paid ahead the previous month, the current month’s minimum balance should be a moot point. I called right away of course, and they agreed to credit it back to my account without any hassle. But still..
It just really makes me glad that I am ANAL about checking up on my accounts. Even when I was burying myself in debt, I was never unaware of my account balances, and logging in to my checking account is a no-brainer, I do it daily, if not multiple times a day. A friend/coworker of mine was ranting about BoFA refusing to refund her the $200 she racked up in overdraft fees. When I asked her about how she handles her account, she said “When I’m about to buy stuff I just get this feeling like maaaaaaaaan I can’t afford this. That’s the worst feeling.” She even went so far as to close her BoFA account, and open an account with our local credit union. Now banking with a credit union is surely a good idea, but clearly the problem here isn’t banks, it’s YOU. I recommended that she just make checking her accounts online a part of her daily routine.
Also this morning I had to help The Boy handle a bill that has gotten quite out of control. Don’t worry I didn’t pay any of MY money, but had to get some info, make some calls for him, since his phone is broken. I don’t want to get into telling all of his business on this blog (YET anyway, haha) but suffice to say, he and I have a very different approach to handling finances, which will surely have to be addressed down the line. The only reason I bring him up though, is just another example of someone costing themselves financially, just through lack of attention.
