I always recommend paying your credit card balance in full each month. Because the benefits of the miles & points you earn are offset by interest and late charges. But sometimes things happen and you lose track of a due date. And making a late payment means you might also have to pay a fee.
If it’s not a habit and you’re only late one or two days, it may be possible to get the fee waived. Several Million Mile Secrets team members have had this experience, so we’ll explain how to get a credit card late fee refunded. And include a few helpful tips to avoid late fees.
Get credit card late fees refuded
You can earn lots of valuable airline miles and hotel points by signing-up for the top credit cards for travel and using them responsibly. And you can redeem the miles and points for unforgettable trips, like a getaway to Europe or an around-the-world honeymoon. But in this hobby, it’s important to avoid fees and interest to make the most of the rewards you earn.
However, unexpected things can come up that cause a missed payment, like if you misplace a bill or are feeling under the weather. Thankfully, it’s often possible to get a late fee waived.
For example, I accidentally missed a due date by two days on my Alaska Airlines Visa® Business credit card so I quickly called customer service. After explaining that I thought I’d already set up auto-pay on this new account (but clearly hadn’t!) and that I’d pay off the balance immediately, the agent was kind enough to waive the fee. And indicated that I should see the statement credit to my account within the next billing period.
Team member Keith had a similar experience with a Chase card. Instead of calling customer service, he sent a secure message. The bank responded the same day and reversed the $39 late fee.
I can’t promise the bank will refund you a late fee. But if it’s your first time and you have a history of being a good customer, it’s likely the bank will extend a one-time courtesy.
It’s also worth noting that depending on the terms of your card, you might also pay interest charges for carrying a balance past the due date. These are typically not waived by the bank. But it never hurts to ask!
3 ways to avoid late fees
Use automatic payments
Set up auto-pay to avoid credit card late fees. It’s available with most banks and adds convenience to the bill pay process. And you can establish rules for your payment like the amount to pay and the date you want the payment to go through.
But if you change bank accounts, be sure to update your auto-pay settings. Because it’s easy to forget about a bill if it’s been automatically paid for awhile. And it’s also important to keep a balance in your checking account so your payments will clear.
Use a personal finance management app
I know lots of folks who use apps like Mint, which let you link all of your credit card and bank accounts. And you’ll receive notifications about upcoming due dates.
Team member Harlan likes using Mint to monitor bill due dates. And he uses it to track minimum spending for new credit cards.
Sign up to receive alerts
If you prefer to pay your bills manually instead of auto-pay, you can set up account alerts to avoid missing a due date. For example, team member Joe has text and email alerts for his Amex accounts. This way he gets notifications five days before a bill due date.
Bottom line
Earning miles & points through big welcome offers on the top rewards credit cards is a fantastic way to earn free travel. But it’s important to avoid fees and interest, which negate the value of your rewards.
If you accidentally miss a credit card payment, call or write to the bank to request they waive the late fee. They’ll typically reverse a fee if you’re only one or two days late and it’s your first missed payment.
To avoid late payments, we recommend using automatic payments or establishing account alerts. Or try taking advantage of personal finance tracking apps like Mint.
I just learned something new today and am not pleased. I have had zero late payments on my credit cards until last month. Unfortunately both the internet and cell service were down on the day that I pay my Capital One card. I paid the next day as soon as I had service. They were gracious enough to waive the late fee and later waived the interest charge also. However, today I learned that I was charged interest because I lost my grace period. No one ever mentioned this or I would have cleared out any new charges since the last closing date at the time that I paid the balance due in full. The agent can not explain how the interest charge was calculated as my number does not match the one charged. It appears that this means that I will accrue another interest charge for this month since a grace period is re-earned after two months. This should have been disclosed by agent when I called to talk about my account.
Thank you very much for this information. I have hesitated to make a call about a late payment fee even though I had paid my card balance monthly. My payment grew as well as my balance. I could not pay the full amount. I still paid more than the minimum payment. Reading this information has helped me have late fees waived at credit card and utility bills. I did make sure to use my alerts and sign up for autopay.
That’s wonderful news! Glad to hear it worked out for you 🙂
I missed one payment on citi prestige, raking up about $80 between late fees and interest. I called in, and it was handled by an automatic answering service. I promptly received a full refund for interest and fee. This kind of service makes me a loyal customer.
The Chase Ink business card will only waive the fee one time. The second time I tried to get the fee waived was because I underpaid my balance by $5. Chase wouldn’t budget.
**Chase wouldn’t budge.
Good to know! Thanks for sharing your experience.
I was late in setting up autopay on a new Barclay card and got hit with a late charge and interest fee. I paid the balance in full and setup autopay, then called customer service. They quickly agreed to refund the fee and interest. Totally my fault, but they bailed me out. Thanks, Barclay!
Thanks for sharing your experience! Glad to hear you were able to get the fees and interest refunded!