Paying off your Closing Balance
The best way to reduce the amount of credit card interest you pay, is to pay off your Closing Balance or Interest Free Days Payment, if you have an Instalment Plan or Balance Transfer, by the Payment Due Date displayed on your statement.
The Closing Balance is the total amount outstanding on your credit card account at the end of the Statement Period.
The Interest Free Days Payment amount is displayed on your statement if you have a Balance Transfer or Instalment Plan.
If you want to pay off your entire credit card debt as at the end of the Statement Period, you’ll need to pay the Closing Balance. If you pay this amount by the Payment Due Date, you won't be charged interest on your purchases because purchases have an interest free period.
Pay more than your Minimum Payment Due
Firstly, pay any Overdue amount immediately.
If you can't pay the Closing Balance in full each month, consider paying a little more than your Minimum Payment Due instead.
By paying a little more than your Minimum Payment Due each month, you can pay off your credit card debt faster and pay less interest. Check out the ASIC Repayment Calculator to see how much you can save by making higher repayments.
The thought of paying that little bit extra can be daunting. A budget might help you stay on top of your expenses and even help you work towards paying off your credit card balance in full.
Take advantage of your interest-free period
We offer up to 44 or 55 days, interest free for retail purchase transactions. This does not mean you get 44 interest-free days for every retail purchase transaction. If you’re not already paying retail interest, the ‘up to’ 44 days begins when you make a transaction and ends on your Payment Due Date on the statement the transaction appears on. This is what we mean by 'up to'.
If you have a balance transfer or instalment plan, you'll need to pay the Interest Free Days Payment shown on your statement by the due date each month, to keep the benefit of an interest free period you may have, or to start an interest free period on any retail purchases.
If you don’t pay the full Closing Balance, or the Interest Free Day Payment amount if you have a Balance Transfer or Instalment Plan, by your Payment Due Date, you’ll be charged interest from the day after the Payment Due Date. This interest is charged against everything you’ve purchased during the Statement Period, minus any payments you’ve made.
Avoid cash advances, if possible
A standard cash advance is withdrawing cash from your credit card account. Since this isn't considered a purchase, interest-free days don’t apply. This means interest starts to add up from the date you make the withdrawal.
Cash advances should be a last resort or in case of an emergency. If you need cash, it’s a way to get it if you’re stuck. But remember, the interest charged for cash is higher than the interest charged on purchases, so try to pay it back as soon as possible.
Other cash advance examples include:
cash out from your credit card account at an ATM, or over the counter
bills paid with your credit card over the counter at another bank or at a post office (online bill payments are usually okay, but you should check with your biller first)
traveller’s cheques or gift cards
any remaining transferred balance after a Balance Transfer has expired
Get in touch if you're facing financial difficulty
You can visit https://www.boq.com.au/help-and-support/assistance to find out more or contact us if you need assistance