..... as long as it is paid by the due date? For example, if I get my credit card statement on July 23, and if I have a due date August 15, does it behoove me at all to pay the bill as soon as I receive it, or is it all the same to wait and pay it on August 12?

The thing you risk by holding onto it is a late payment.  If you have the money early enough, then I say pay it, because once it leaves your hands, you are trusting a lot more people than you think to get it where it needs to be, and on time.

They're all electronic bills, so payment is virtually instantaneous, and it's autodebited, so there isn't much of a risk of being forgetful either. All that aside however, I was just wondering if it matters when the payment is received, as long as it is received by the due date.

If you have the money early enough, then I say pay it

I disagree.  I would say pay as close to the due date as you can get away with as long as there is little risk of late payment.  By paying early you lose the interest that the money accrues in your account.  While this may only be a week or so, over time the amount of lost interest adds up.  Remember, it is YOUR money until you give it away to someone else. Hold onto it as long as possible.

Not just the ontime payment is important. But the amount of the payment. I for the most part try to pay more than the minimal. This can boost your credit score.

  One time I made a payment on the due date in the eve. Even though the payment was made before 12 midnight the post wasn't I was screwed with late fee and higher rate, so now I am cautious.

  ONE OTHER THING IS THIS. IF YOU WAIT TO YOUR DUE DATE. YOU COULD MISS THE CREDIT CARD REPORTING DATE TO THE CREDIT BUREAUS OFTEN THESE ARE AT THE 1ST OR 15TH OR A DIFF DATE FROM THE DUE DATE AND WHAMMO. YOUR REPORT WILL NOT HAVE THE PAYMENT POSTED YET.

Yes, it can make a difference. The sooner you pay, the less interest you pay. Interest accrues the longer you wait. So, you will pay more based on when you pay. It is not a huge amount, but it does accumulate.

Christine

I have started paying all of my credit card bills once a month -- with one of my paychecks - so it ends up being almost three weeks before the due date on some accounts.  I use online bill pay now too, which helps a ton.  So I make sure I never am late again!  Trying to boost my credit score here!  And I am trying to pay about $5 over the minimum (on all cards but one, and then as much as possible toward my highest APR). 

But I agree to pay as soon as you can - to avoid the interest.  Most of my cards (that I am paying off) have high interest rates, so I'm sure it adds up.

Playing for playing.

  Boost your score by keeping the balances under half the limit. EX. $5000 limit keep below $2500

Tomtastic25 wrote:

Playing for playing.

  Boost your score by keeping the balances under half the limit. EX. $5000 limit keep below $2500

That is what I am working on   My problem was closing the accounts so I woudn't use them.  I've actually re-opened a couple and asked for credit limit increases just to work on my debt to credit-limit ratio.  That, and simply paying them off - that is my main goal!