Citi Card’s Floating Due Date
For about a year now I have had a Citi credit card which at the time offered 5% cash back on all purchases and worked out well. Over the past 3-4 months however I noticed my due date would jump around from the 21st to the 23rd then to the 20th. Moving back wasn’t much of an issue but I pay my credit card bill online and often set up the payment 1-2 days before the due date in order to maximize the item I have my Money and the amount I can pay. This month they moved the due date up to the 16th, almost a full week early. The only place this was communicated was in my online statement which came at the normal time and isn’t normally viewed at least until the week the bill is due. I have emailed back and forth and called customer service but I have been assured the date cannot be set as a specific day each month, even though Discover provides this for me. So I will be closing the card within the next month, as soon as I change my auto bill pays and pay off the balance. In my opinion the only reason a credit card company would have a floating due date like this is to make more money off of Late Fees.
I think I will move it all to Discover or look for a card with a good sign on bonus and rewards. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Josh Smith is a blogger, database manager and adjunct professor of business and technology. 
yea…someone who is a lawyer ought to start a class action suit against them–i would think there are enough cardholders who have had their data moved around, or in my case- they never send out the statement!!! hard to prove malice on their part, but maybe it will keep them “more” honest….
I have been battling Discover Card for floating due dates and despite numerous calls they do nothing.
My Due date was fine for the first year, then it started to drop and went from 23rd of month to 14th. Then it will go back to 21st then drop again. I have incurred finance charges because of this. I am just going to cancel the card because noone can tell me why this happens, or do anything to stop it!!!!
This is the only card I have noticed such drastic drops in due dates, which of course you are not expecting so they get extra money by charging late fees.
So if you are thinking of changing to Discover Card WATCH OUT they will do the same thing.
Thanks for the heads up. I have a Discover Card I use for all my recurring monthly payments (subscritpions, utilities etc) which I pay off each month. I was able to choose a due date, and it has stuck for as long as I have had the card (1.5 years). I wonder if it is ied to the type of card.
I think these floating due dates are horrendous and just another way for credit card companies to bilk consumers for more money, good luck.
Wow! I was just shopping around for a new credit card because this just happened to me with my GM Card! The date was normally around the 15th, but the last one changed to the 10th. I have records in my MS Money clear back to 2003, showing my payment history. When I called them and ranted to a supervisor, he said he would remove the $39 late fee this time.
Maybe the best credit card is NO credit card.
Anyone with a Chase account or JPMorgan Chase stock should consider ending that relationship. Chase is desperate, running out of cash, and now resorting to predatory credit card lending practices. Here’s my story – hundreds of customers have posted the exact same experience – most since September ’08.
I’ve had a Chase acct. since ’06, with a due-date of the 16th each month. In a little scam called “floating due dates,” Chase – unilaterally – pushed my due date to the 9TH of each month.
Since my statement arrived at the same time, and I pay my bills on time every month, I had no reason to expect the due-date for this account to change. When I saw a late fee on my account (one day late) I called to find out why.
Despite the fact that I had a due date of the 16th for YEARS, Chase claimed “notified” me of the change in our contract when my statement arrived. The claims representative snidley commented, “You do read your statement, don’t you?”
From my initital research, I’m confident I was “chosen” for a new due date because I have a 15K a balance at .99%. Chase upped my due date by a week, and then accused me of being “late” (by one day)? I’ve incurred late fees, AND my interest went from 0.99% to 22%. I asked, but they offered no reason, no criteria for why I was “selected” for a new due date. Only that my previous interest rate was no longer available. There is NO co-incidence here.
For the record: I’m a AAA+ customer. I have a 760 credit rating, own a home, and haven’t been late on anything to anyone for 20+ years
I encourage everyone to write to your federal representatives, and ask that any TARP funds requested by Chase be withheld until they adopt a Customer Bill of Rights (proposed by our President Elect). #1 on this bill is making unilateral changes illegal. As taxpayers we must demand our banks abide by same laws that govern all contracts. I am exploring a class-action suit against Chase, and am soliticting others with similar experiences. Please contact me directly at vthearne@yahoo.com.