@Anonymous wrote:
@Credit12Fico wrote:We don't even need to consider whether the next statement closed with a positive or negative balance.
Yes, we do. That is why some people run in trouble with Chase and others do not.
I agree with you, only the balance at the due date should matter. But that is not what Chase thinks (or at least their computer system doesn't). Instead, Chase does (indirectly) consider the balance when the next statement closes: You need to consider when and how returns are applied. At the end of the statement period, Chase will first apply the returns towards the new purchases, then towards the part of the last statement balance above the minimum payment, and finally towards the minimum payments. (Payments, on the other hand, are first applied to the minimum payment, then the statement balance and finally towards the new purchase). If you did not make any payments, and the balance at the end statement period is negative, this means that the minimum payment has not been met and Chase will demand extra payments. But if the balance is negative, the returns will have been applied to the minimum payment, and no payment is due.
Maybe, I'm wrong about this. But I have not seen any clear cases where chase wanted someone to make payments even if the balance at the end of stament period was negative.
Thank you for the detailed and enlightening post. I had not considered any of the issues related to the order in which the different transactions are processed and now I understand where the concern for the statement balance comes from. I assumed it was not related to it, but that does not appear to be the case. And you are correct that what has been posted in the other forum tends to gloss over that detail as unimportant (because finding out that auto-pay has failed you and accounts closed probably infuriates and clouds the brain 
).
