[Ataylor]

Hello,

My Father's credit card company recently switched over (or sold to a new branch, not sure which), so we (my father and I) assumed that that's why we hadn't been recieving his bills. After having not recieved his 2nd bill, I called the company and they stated that it was sent out "on time" every month. Now since my father didn't pay it (because he didn't recieve his bill) he was charged a late fee. Is this fair? And even more so, is it legal?

I know I spoke to one individual that use to work or deal with credit card companies that said something along the lines of them sending me (or anyone for that matter) a bill is considered a "courtesy" on their part? Is this true? How am I suppose to know how much I owe? Or when the billing cycle begins? Well, there might be an answer for those two questions, but honestly, if they don't send my father the bill, and charge him a late fee, is he liable to pay for it? THAT is my question.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
-Anthony

[Mr. Knowitall]

I had something like that happen with Citibank once. I called them, they looked at my payment history, saw that it was 100% on time, and took off the late charges and interest charges. So I suggest as a first step you call and ask for the charge to be removed.

There are many ways to keep on top of your credit card debt without getting a statement in the mail. I am not aware of any credit card that does not presently offer an online interface to check your balance, recent activity, old bills, and make online payments. Also, I'm not aware of any credit card which does not offer an automatic payment system, such that you can make automatic minimum payments (or automatic payments in full) every month and never risk missing a payment (as long as you have funds in your bank account to cover the payment). I personally use automatic payments for all of the credit cards I use on a regular basis.