So DH didn't pay the Amex bill.

[punkin]

not like it's not due on the same day every month. Luckily I logged in to our account to check a particular charge posting and noticed...Only 2 days late.

So I call him and tell him he didn't pay. Oh, he says. It was the weekend.

So you should have paid before the weekend.

OK. Vent over. I think I need to start keeping a closer eye on bills again. I've been remiss because he has been so responsible lately (this was not always the case and I used to pay all bills).

 

[mjkacmom]

As the bill payer in this house, have the primary cardholder call and ask them to waive the fee - most of the time, they will, if a fee hasn't been waived in the past 6 months.

 

[bumbershoot]

OK. Vent over. I think I need to start keeping a closer eye on bills again. I've been remiss because he has been so responsible lately (this was not always the case and I used to pay all bills).

Sorry about that.

I had to take over the money entirely again b/c the months of not having to worry about it were obliterated by DH's second $800 mistake.... He tries to balance it in his head, and it Just Does Not Work. (though otherwise he's very intelligent and intuitive with numbers!)

 

[bettymae1121]

Yep, won't let my DH touch the finances with a ten foot poll. It's just not something he's able to handle. I don't mind though, when it comes to finances I have OCD so even if DH could handle them, I'd still be looking over his shoulder just because I wouldn't be able to sleep unless I knew for sure things were being taken care of. So, it's saves me the trouble and sleepless nights if I just do it.

Anyway, give AMEX a call, if you haven't been late before then they may be willing to waive the fee.

 

[punkin]

I'm actually not even sure there will be a fee. This is not a typical credit card. It's an old fashioned Amex charge card. Since I have never been late (and always paid off the entire bill) I have no idea what the procedure is for a late payment.

 

[MomToOne]

Why not set up auto pay on your account, at least for the minimum amount due? I have auto pay set up on all my accounts (in my case to pay the full balance) - I don't have to remember a single due date anymore!

 

[cseca]

As the bill payer in this house, have the primary cardholder call and ask them to waive the fee - most of the time, they will, if a fee hasn't been waived in the past 6 months.

Yeah, what she said

Call and apologize. I've done that with my cards before (I groveled basically... hey, it's $25 or $39 I didn't have to pay!) and they were nice enough to waive the fee. Granted I do that probably once a year or less.
And then like another PP said, I signed up for autopay. My concern was that they would take out less than the amt and make me pay interest (I don't know why I thought that). Then I found no problem... now I just have to make sure we have enough $ in the bank acct every month and no worries about missing payment.

 

[Swimalie]

Why not set up auto pay on your account, at least for the minimum amount due? I have auto pay set up on all my accounts (in my case to pay the full balance) - I don't have to remember a single due date anymore!

Giving any debtor access to your checking and savings accounts is never a good idea. If you do this, do so through your bank and have them pay American Express automatically.

Sorry this happened. I'd call them and if you have a good payment record with them, which it sounds like you do, and you can send a payment today through your bank, then they will probably waive any fees.

 

[Marionnette]

Giving any debtor access to your checking and savings accounts is never a good idea. If you do this, do so through your bank and have them pay American Express automatically.

Sorry this happened. I'd call them and if you have a good payment record with them, which it sounds like you do, and you can send a payment today through your bank, then they will probably waive any fees.

Every time you write a check you are granting them access to your account. Most of the credit card companies and utility companies I deal with use electronic processing for checks now. I have no issues with using autopay for this very reason.

 

[cseca]

Giving any debtor access to your checking and savings accounts is never a good idea. If you do this, do so through your bank and have them pay American Express automatically.

...

Eh?
I never heard this to be an issue... are you concerned they might steal from you?

 

[vicki_c]

Eh?
I never heard this to be an issue... are you concerned they might steal from you?

There have been issues with automated drafts from various companies - over charging, double charging, fraudulent charges. So I think it can be a concern. You have more control if you initiate it through the bank. I do have a few auto pays set up with my accounts though - insurance company, daycare payment.

But anyway OP - that's why I pay the bills at my house. Everyone has their skills - a sense of urgency over financial matters has never been one of my husband's!

 

[MomToOne]

Giving any debtor access to your checking and savings accounts is never a good idea. If you do this, do so through your bank and have them pay American Express automatically.

Never is a strong word - it is more about assessing the risks and making an informed decision.

The reality is that the biggest risk on this sort of thing comes in when you are shorting payments, and the creditor decides to take out more to make themselves "whole". Since I and the OP both pay off the card in full each month, this is not really a risk in our situations.

And sure, there is a slight risk a major bank might have a computer glitch and take out a double payment or something similar, but really it is a smaller risk. And I happen to have enough of a cushion that should this happen it's not a crisis and I can wait until it can be sorted out.

On the other hand, the risks of me missing a payment are very real. The cost of late fees and interest are very likely.

So, at least in my case, the slight risk I take on by giving the bank my checking account info is very low, while the large risk of my missing a payment is removed. So the decision to set up auto-pay is definitely the way to go.

 

[tlbwriter]

The reality is that the biggest risk on this sort of thing comes in when you are shorting payments, and the creditor decides to take out more to make themselves "whole". Since I and the OP both pay off the card in full each month, this is not really a risk in our situations.

Since this is a charge card, I think the biggest risk is that it will be compromised, someone will rack up thousands of dollars in charges, and the OP will not realize it until the bill has already been "auto paid." Even if she catches the charges before the money leaves her account, it could be too late to stop an automatic payment.

 

[gillenkl]

I wouldn't rake your DH over the coals too much - afterall it was just a mistake and we all make mistakes. Nobody's perfect and we all fall short sometimes. I'd give him the benefit of the doubt that it was a one time oversight. Maybe you could go over paying the bills together so that it doesn't fall on either one of you?

 

[MomToOne]

Since this is a charge card, I think the biggest risk is that it will be compromised, someone will rack up thousands of dollars in charges, and the OP will not realize it until the bill has already been "auto paid." Even if she catches the charges before the money leaves her account, it could be too late to stop an automatic payment.

Yes, if you never look at your account, then autopay may not be good for you. But just because someone has autopay on does not mean they never look at their account. I personally check mine every few days. I'm great at monitoring my charges, just bad at getting payments out the door on time

 

[tlbwriter]

Yes, if you never look at your account, then autopay may not be good for you. But just because someone has autopay on does not mean they never look at their account. I personally check mine every few days. I'm great at monitoring my charges, just bad at getting payments out the door on time

Like I said, even if you look at your account, it can be too late to stop an automatic payment. You can't just call the bank and say "stop." Believe me, I have been there, done that, and bought the t-shirt (not with a CC, but with another bill that was fraudulently high). We don't do true autopay any longer for that reason (except for the mortgage). We only do the kind of electronic payments where we have to authorize the amount.

 

[MomToOne]

Like I said, even if you look at your account, it can be too late to stop an automatic payment. You can't just call the bank and say "stop." Believe me, I have been there, done that, and bought the t-shirt (not with a CC, but with another bill that was fraudulently high). We don't do true autopay any longer for that reason (except for the mortgage). We only do the kind of electronic payments where we have to authorize the amount.

With a credit card, you would have a minimum of 20 days between the time the charge went through, and the autopay (if you are set up to pay on the due date as is typical). If you are monitoring your charges, that should be plenty of time.

And even if that's not enough, then you can set up your autopay to just pay the minimum amount. That at least helps you avoid late fees.

But as I said in my first post, it's about knowing the risks and benefits. You've decided the risks aren't worth it. I've reached a different conclusion. That's why everyone should be informed, and decide for themselves what is right for their situations.

 

[tlbwriter]

But as I said in my first post, it's about knowing the risks and benefits. You've decided the risks aren't worth it. I've reached a different conclusion. That's why everyone should be informed, and decide for themselves what is right for their situations.

True, but it needs to be an informed decision. I'd hate for anyone to think they could simply spot a fraudulent charge and have it taken off their account (or have their auto pay stopped) quickly and easily.

 

[punkin]

I generally do not trust auto pay and usually it is not a problem. This is a very rare occurrence in my house since I am always so on top of things.

I know it was a mistake and I am not so much mad at DH as at the situation. I am actually beating myself up more. I should have reminded him. We are supposed to be a check on each other.

 

[patsal]

You should call if you pay your balance in full every month since you will get charged interest. If you call and you have never been late they may reverse this charge as well or give you a payoff amount so you can pay it down before you pay interest on this month's charges too. Compounded interest is the bigger issue here.
I, myself, messed up the Old Navy account this month, I really thought I had paid it, when paying other bills I checked and oops I didn't . I immediately paid the balance, but then called to tell them what I did and asked nicely if they could waive the fee. They did and reversed the interest as well.