Chapter V
5 of 22 · ~7 min

The Billing Cycle

Statement date. Due date. Grace period. Click any day on the calendar to see what happens — the entire 30-day cycle, demystified.

Click any day to see what happens

A typical monthly cycle.

M
T
W
T
F
S
S
Statement Fresh cycle Reminder Due Late
DAY 5 · STATEMENT CLOSES
Statement closes

Your statement is generated. Every transaction in the past 30 days is summed up. The bill arrives via email/SMS. Your reported credit utilization is calculated at this exact moment.

The hidden gift

If your statement closes on the 5th and your due date is the 25th, a purchase made on the 6th gets ~52 days of interest-free credit: 30 days until next statement + 22 days till due date. Time your big purchases right after your statement closes.

You now read your cycle.

Up next — the most important chapter on this site. The minimum payment trap, with a live debt simulator.