American Express Membership Rewards - Hilton AMEX 20 day Grace Period

I finally got back from two weeks on the road and opened my Hilton AMEX bill to find a .38 cent interest charge. When I called and asked about it , they told me there was only a twenty day grace period (I should have known about this) and my payment was one day late, so they charged me interest based on the average monthly balance. My due date is the 19th of the month and the thing that drives me nuts is that it takes 10 days from the posting date on the first, for the bill to show up in my mail box, creating what is in essence a 9 day grace period. When they showed their usual AMEX brand of customer service and refused to remove the .38 charge, I cancelled the card.

Has anyone else run into this reduction of grace period due to slow mail delivery problem? The same thing happens with my BOA US Visa card. If I happen to be on the road there is no way other than electronically, that I can make these payments on time. Is AMEX trying to force us into an entirely electronic mode of bill apying?

[This message has been edited by Brattflyer (edited 08-18-2002).]

I'm surprised that you weren't also charged a $20-$35 late penalty fee. That has happened to me with the Starwood card. Very frustrating given that many of us do travel and with mail delays it is very tough to get payments in within the grace period. Clearly a big revenue generator for Amex. This is my biggest issue with this card.

And of course Amex does not have the option of paying the bill automatically. You can do it on-line, but have to remember to do it. My Citibank Mastercard is automatically paid by Citibank (linked to my checking account) near the end of my grace period. Very easy. Wish Amex would do that.

ff

AmEx has cut the grace period (due date) over the years. This is one card that I have to keep on top of. My MBNA MC has a much longer period, but the AmEx Starwood has a more lucrative points program so I put up with it. I literally pay my bill the day that it arrives because it takes so long for them to post it. I also use to send my bills to Newark, but they changed it to Chicago a couple of years ago which adds even more time.

The AMEX shrinking grace period sure makes me miss my Diners Club card. Their 60 day g.p. is a great thing, just wish more merchants accepted it.

Another change to the AMEX billing (no accident I'm sure) is that they use a form of postage that no longer has a "mail date" or requires a cancellation at the post office. I used to call AMEX and prove to them I had a week long "grace period." They would grumble about the mailroom being slow but usually complied. Now we don't even have that!

Yes, it's happened to me frequently.

Usually I would put the check in the mail the same day the bill arrived, and even then I was told a couple of times the payment was received late. While in each case they removed the interest and late charge, they said they were doing it "only because {I} had a past history of paying on time".

Well, with those two lapses that was no longer true, so now I manage my AMEX accounts on-line, and pay on-line. The payment posts as of the date it was directed on line (even though the money doesn't come out of your bank account until later) so there's never a "late payment" problem.

These shortened "grace periods" on the Optima cards are a pain, but that's one way to deal with it. And you save 37 cents postage. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

(By the way, by managing the account on-line you also avoid the hassle of having to call AMEX when your bill is delayed in the mail to find out how much it is.)

Via the internet is the only way to go. It's free, fast and all the credit card companies are determined to go that way. Let's face it, we're all internet users or we wouldn't be reading/writing this.

I prefer to send payments rather than have merchants take them.

I use a bill paying service & have just started with automatic monthly payments for $100 a few days after my billing cycle closes. This allows me to avoid missing the ridiculous payment due date and to send the balance before the bill closes (the 30 days).

I'm now doing this with my Optima & First USA Visa.

Mary

TYhere were several news reports that some of the credit card companies actually delay processing the checks received so they could collect the $25 or now even more late fees. However, I am amazed that a $.38 charge was not reversed as a courtesy. Did you really try?

My paper bill usually comes about one week after my statement closing date. If I know that I'm going to be out of town, I frequently obtain my closing balance on-line and send a check in advance.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by TTT103:
My paper bill usually comes about one week after my statement closing date. If I know that I'm going to be out of town, I frequently obtain my closing balance on-line and send a check in advance.</font>

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/thumbsup.gif I tried this trick a few months ago as I knew that I won't be back in town to make the payment. It works!

I like the manage account online feature and have used the pay by phone feature which is automated and fast.
A couple of months ago I realized I had not gotten my bill, paid it online before the due date and the statement finally arrived by snail mail 1 day before the due date. Whew!

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by anz5708:
I like the manage account online feature and have used the pay by phone feature which is automated and fast.
A couple of months ago I realized I had not gotten my bill, paid it online before the due date and the statement finally arrived by snail mail 1 day before the due date. Whew!</font>

Before the Internet, I used to call in my payment from overseas (when I was traveling); now, I just pay the bill online. It is so much faster and you have better control over your bank balances. Why isn't everyone doing this?

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by fallinasleep:
....now, I just pay the bill online. It is so much faster and you have better control over your bank balances. Why isn't everyone doing this?
</font>
Ditto.

Kathy

I still pay my bills by snail mail because I'm worried about security. Even though the sites are supposedly secure (128 bit SSL), I'm still worried about hackers getting in. At least with credit card purchases you can dispute charges and you're protected against fraud, but with online banking and payment I'm worried that my checking account number may be at risk.

I dont know why we allow AMEX to get away with this.