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not fer nuthin' but "paying more than the minimum" means next to nothing

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score_building
Senior Contributor

not fer nuthin' but "paying more than the minimum" means next to nothing

This is not news but so many recent posts seem to hinge on this dubious distinction that it is high time to post a reminder that 'paying more than the minimum' does NOT necessarily protect one from much of anything, it depends on the actual numbers.

 

For eg., paying a minimum of 6% of outstanding balance can be a much more relevant way to gauge payment history record, as currently citibank for eg., will grade a payment of about 6% of outstanding balance as "very good" or "excellent" and grade down from there.   

 

In too many cases, just paying a little more than the minimum, may not be enough to get out of debt in a reasonable time frame and is not an effective way to contextualize debt/ payment...this type of thinking may in fact overexpose one to AA...better off using a yard stick the issuer may use in the current climate IMHO.

DCU EQ 5.0, Citi EQ 08 Bankcard, PenFed EX NG2
EX 08: AFCU, Amex, Chase, PSECU EX 98(?)
TU 08: Barclays, Discover
Message 1 of 8
7 REPLIES 7
laz98
Senior Contributor

Re: not fer nuthin' but "paying more than the minimum" means next to nothing

i agree, but in some cases, people need to experience it for themselves.  for instance, i didn't think it was a big deal that i didn't PIF, i just thought people were trying to be "holier than thou" on me.  i still can't afford to PIF, but now, i see the importance of getting my balances down ASAP, & not just revolving debt til the end of time.
Message 2 of 8
score_building
Senior Contributor

Re: not fer nuthin' but "paying more than the minimum" means next to nothing


@laz98 wrote:
i agree, but in some cases, people need to experience it for themselves.  for instance, i didn't think it was a big deal that i didn't PIF, i just thought people were trying to be "holier than thou" on me.  i still can't afford to PIF, but now, i see the importance of getting my balances down ASAP, & not just revolving debt til the end of time.
Yep.  I learned the hard way (by paying avoidable fees for years) and am still working to be debt free, I wish I had known about the value of PIF years ago, the Forums helped me see the light in that regard too Smiley Happy
 
 

 

DCU EQ 5.0, Citi EQ 08 Bankcard, PenFed EX NG2
EX 08: AFCU, Amex, Chase, PSECU EX 98(?)
TU 08: Barclays, Discover
Message 3 of 8
haulingthescoreup
Moderator Emerita

Re: not fer nuthin' but "paying more than the minimum" means next to nothing

One of the useful things that will happen with the Credit CARD Act (yes, there are a few!) is that every statement will have to display a table showing how long it will take you to pay off your balance if you only make minimum payments, and how much interest you will pay over the lifetime of the loan.

"Lifetime of the loan" --many of us don't think of credit card debt as a loan, but it most certainly is. You borrowed money from the CCC to buy something, and you have to pay it back, usually at interest rates that are way higher than typical installment loan rates.

You can pay it back the first month before the due date (or before the statement date, if you like to torture your FICO scores), or you can drag it out, paying interest and remaining beholden to the bank. I'm cheap, and I like to at least pretend I'm independent, so I'm a PIF'er. Smiley Wink
* Credit is a wonderful servant, but a terrible master. * Who's the boss --you or your credit?
FICO's: EQ 781 - TU 793 - EX 779 (from PSECU) - Done credit hunting; having fun with credit gardening. - EQ 590 on 5/14/2007
Message 4 of 8
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: not fer nuthin' but "paying more than the minimum" means next to nothing

is the 6% figure for Citibank an official policy they use? what about other issuers?
Message 5 of 8
keith021
Regular Contributor

Re: not fer nuthin' but "paying more than the minimum" means next to nothing


@haulingthescoreup wrote:
One of the useful things that will happen with the Credit CARD Act (yes, there are a few!) is that every statement will have to display a table showing how long it will take you to pay off your balance if you only make minimum payments, and how much interest you will pay over the lifetime of the loan.

"Lifetime of the loan" --many of us don't think of credit card debt as a loan, but it most certainly is. You borrowed money from the CCC to buy something, and you have to pay it back, usually at interest rates that are way higher than typical installment loan rates.

You can pay it back the first month before the due date (or before the statement date, if you like to torture your FICO scores), or you can drag it out, paying interest and remaining beholden to the bank. I'm cheap, and I like to at least pretend I'm independent, so I'm a PIF'er. Smiley Wink

 

I did notice on my February Chase statement that there was an area that showed the estimated time of pay off including interest. How convenient. Smiley Wink

 


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Message 6 of 8
DI
Super Contributor

Re: not fer nuthin' but "paying more than the minimum" means next to nothing

I haven't seen any new 'payoff tables' on my statements yet.  I imagine it won't appear if there's no balance reporting before the statement generates. 
Message 7 of 8
keith021
Regular Contributor

Re: not fer nuthin' but "paying more than the minimum" means next to nothing


@DI wrote:
I haven't seen any new 'payoff tables' on my statements yet.  I imagine it won't appear if there's no balance reporting before the statement generates. 

       Probably won't if there's no balance. Somehow a $52 balance did post and this is my first statement come to think of it.


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Current Score: 715
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Message 8 of 8
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