Ryan P Page, Staff Writer
@ryan_page
You can often get a late fee waived on your credit card by simply contacting your credit card’s issuer and asking for the fee to be waived. According to a WalletHub survey, 41% of people who’ve asked a credit card company for a fee waiver were ultimately given one. While there is no guarantee that your credit card issuer will grant your request, calling to ask is worth a try.
How to Get a Credit Card Late Fee Waived in Three Steps
- Make your late payment.Before you call customer service, make sure you pay the past-due bill. Correcting your mistake quickly will make it easier to ask for some leniency.
- Contact your credit card issuer.When you call your credit card company’s customer service team, explain the circumstances and outline your positive history if this is your first late payment. Or you could take an aggressive approach and prepare to take your business elsewhere if they don’t waive the fee. While credit card issuers have to follow certain regulations regarding late fees, there is no rule about waiving them. As such, the decision is up to the issuer.
- Receive a decision and check your bill.Your issuer will likely give you an answer by the end of your call. If you are successful in getting the fee waived, make sure you check your credit card statements to confirm, and keep a record of the call. If the issuer refuses your request, you’ll have to pay the late fee.
Whether or not you manage to get your current late fee waived, it’s important to stay on top of your credit card payments to avoid fees and credit score damage moving forward. One way to help ensure you never miss your due date is to set up automatic payments. Additionally, you can learn more about the most common credit card fees and how to avoid them by checking out WalletHub’s guide.
People also ask
Will banks waive late fees?
Yes, banks may waive late payment fees for your credit card, though it’s not guaranteed to happen. Whether a bank may be willing to forgive a late fee is contingent on your payment history, creditworthiness and the relationship with the bank. However, even with a stellar payment record and good credit, your appeal to getting the late fee waived can still be denied.
Tips on Getting a Late Payment Fee Waived by a Bank
- ...
Can you negotiate late fees?
Yes, it is often possible to negotiate late credit card fees with your credit card issuer. Just keep in mind that the outcome of the negotiation depends on a few things, like your relationship with the issuer, your creditworthiness and whether missing a payment was an isolated incident or not.
You should also note that while there may be certain regulations with regards to late fees, your credit card issuer is not obligated to forgive or lower the amount...
read full answer by John Miller, Credit Cards ModeratorWhat does waiving a late fee mean?
Waiving a late fee means that your credit card company agrees not to charge you a penalty fee for missing the due date on a payment. A late fee is assessed when failing to make at least the minimum payment by the due date listed on your monthly statement.
In some cases, if you have a valid reason for missing the payment, such as a temporary financial hardship or an oversight, you may be able...
read full answer by John Miller, Credit Cards ModeratorDid we answer your question?
Important Disclosures
Ad Disclosure: Certain offers that appear on this site originate from paying advertisers. For full transparency, here is a list of our current advertisers.
Advertisers compensate WalletHub when you click on a link, or your application is approved, or your account is opened. Advertising impacts how and where offers appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear and their prevalence). At WalletHub we try to present a wide array of offers, but our offers do not represent all financial services companies or products.
Advertising enables WalletHub to provide you proprietary tools, services, and content at no charge. Advertising does not impact WalletHub's editorial content including our best picks, reviews, ratings and opinions. Those are completely independent and not provided, commissioned, or endorsed by any company, as our editors follow a strict editorial policy.