Have you unknowingly or mistakenly paid your credit card more than you owe? It may happen sometimes by you or for other reasons too. But you need not worry about it as it won’t harm you in any way.
If one overpays a credit card, it means they have added more money than owed. In that case, he would have a negative balance and the extra money would be adjusted to his next purchase. He may apply for a refund too. Either way, overpaying a credit card won’t cause any harm.
If you are perplexed about what to do if you have overpaid your credit card, stay with me and learn different aspects of this issue. This article will answer all your queries about what happens if you overpay a credit card:
How Do You Know If You Overpaid A Credit Card?
Here comes the very first issue. People may not realize that they have overpaid their credit cards. Inexperienced users may not even know what it means to overpay a credit card.
Overpaying a credit card simply means that you have paid the credit card more than the due amount. Now, you can see a minus sign to your current balance if you have overpaid. It means that you have a negative balance.
Don’t be scared! A minus sign means that the credit card issuer owes you money. Now how you can use this extra amount is up to you which I will discuss in the latter part.
How Does Overpaying A Credit Card Occur? (3 Circumstances)
A lot of occurrences may result in overpaying a credit card. Sometimes, you may unknowingly overpay a credit card. But sometimes, it is not even in your hand.
So, let me talk about such 3 circumstances that can cause overpaying a credit card:
1. Manual Overpayment:
You may accidently put extra money that you owe on your credit card. While paying back the owed amount, you may mistakenly add an extra amount which can cause a negative balance.
To avoid this, you can opt for the auto-payment method. Here, the payment would be done automatically on time. However, make sure that you don’t pay anything after opting for the auto payment setup.
2. Refunds:
Suppose you have purchased something from a merchant. Then you have paid back all the due amount of the credit card. So, the credit balance is $0. But now you want to return the item to the merchant.
When you do so, you get a refund. As all the due amounts are paid, the refund amount is counted as an overpayment. So, you get a negative balance.
3. Rewards And Fees:
Some companies may give rewards for different reasons. If you have a zero balance, this reward would be added as a negative balance to your credit card.
The same scenario happens when the issuer gives back the fraudulent charges after learning about the unauthorized transaction. The amount comes as a negative balance on your credit card.
Similarly, if you have negotiated any fees with your issuer, you would get a refund which would be shown as a negative balance.
What Should You Do About Overpaying A Credit Card? (2 Solutions)
Though it is absolutely fine if you have a negative balance due to overpayment, there are two simple ways in which you can solve the issue.
Here are the 2 solutions for you:
1. Spend The Extra Balance:
When there is a negative balance, the credit card issuer automatically adjusts the amount with the next month’s balance. So, when you make a purchase or spend money from your credit card, it would cut down the negative balance. And when the overpaid amount is spent, it would automatically turn into a positive balance.
Pretty simple, right?
2. Ask For A Refund:
If you don’t want a negative balance on your card, you can always apply for a refund from the issuer. If the overpaid amount is more than $1 and you apply for a refund, ideally, you should get back the amount within a week.
Asking for a refund is a good option if you want to use the money for other purposes like paying hospital bills, daily utility bills, or during an emergency. Otherwise, spending the overpaid amount is the easiest way out.
Does Overpaying A Credit Card Benefit Your Credit Score?
You don’t receive any benefit by overpaying a credit card. Your credit report would still show a balance of $0 even if you have a negative balance.
So, come out of the misconception that overpaying a credit card would increase your credit score. Having a $0 balance is ideal to keep your credit score top-notch. But overpaying a credit card does not affect your credit score, neither positively nor negatively.
Does Overpaying A Credit Card Increase Your Credit Limit?
The only change that happens by overpaying is that you now have some extra amount to spend from your credit card. The extra amount stays on your credit card as a negative balance.
Once you spend the negative balance, it all becomes the same. It means that overpaying a credit card doesn’t impact or increase your credit limit. It temporarily adds up some extra money that remains there as long as you don’t spend it.
Can You Earn Interest By Overpaying A Credit Card?
Saving accounts that offer the opportunity to earn interest on paying a specific amount does not offer any benefit in the case of overpaying.
In simple terms, you won’t earn any interest if you overpay a credit card. It doesn’t influence your interest-earning opportunity. It offers no benefits if you overpay.
Is It Bad To Overpay A Credit Card?
If you have overpaid a credit card or a negative balance for any other reason, you need not worry about it. You can either get a refund or spend the negative balance to turn it into a positive balance. But it won’t negatively affect your credit score, history, or record at all.
If the overpaid amount is huge, your issuer may assume it as a fraudulent case. In that case, immediately inform the issuer about the mistake.
Conclusion:
All in all, overpaying a credit card doesn’t harm you in any way. Even if you want to keep the credit balance at $0, you can either ask for a refund or spend the extra amount.
So, no more worries regarding overpaying a credit card!
