The Capital One credit card minimum payment is your balance if it is less than $25. For balances higher than $25, the minimum payment is 1% of the balance, plus any accumulated interest. Capital One will also add any past due amount and late payment fees to your minimum payment.
… read full answerA minimum payment is the least amount you can pay by the due date and still be in good standing on your account. There is no standard formula or guidelines for calculating minimum payments, but issuers generally require a percentage of the balance, including fees and interest.
Making only the minimum payment each month may seem like you’re saving money, because you’re taking such a small amount from your budget while still meeting your monthly obligations. But if you carry a balance, you’ll notice that the balance doesn’t appear to be getting any smaller each month. That’s because a chunk of your minimum payment is applied to interest, and very little, if any, is paying down the actual balance.
By law, Capital One and all other issuers are required to publish an informational chart on your credit card that illustrates how long it will take you to pay off the balance if you make only the minimum payment, and how much you will end up paying in interest. It also shows you how much you should pay in order to pay off the balance, assuming you make no additional purchases on your card.
Not making at least the minimum payment due comes with another set of issues. You will be charged a late payment fee of up to $40 if Capital One doesn’t receive the required minimum payment by the due date. The late fee will be tacked on to your next month’s statement, along with additional interest on top of the unpaid balance.
When making just the Capital One minimum payment, less will end up being more in the long run. If you’re unable to pay off your entire balance, put down as much as you can without sacrificing your other monthly debts. Any payment above the minimum will be applied to your balance with the highest interest rate.
If you plan on financing a purchase, consider a Capital One card with a 0% introductory APR. Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card, for instance, offers an introductory purchase APR of 0% for 15 months (15.24% - 25.24% (V), based on the specifics of your credit, thereafter). If you’d like to repay your existing debt with a new credit card, take a look at the best balance transfer credit cards.
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