I discovered that Best Buy's credit people (and likely other's) are playing games with the "no interest for XX months" (i/f) purchases.
You would think the first thing you bought would get paid off first... i.e. buy a $800 dryer w/18 months "no interest", have it paid off after 16 mo with $50 payments (or 8mo with $100 monthly payments in my case)... NOPE.
Turns out that, unlike a Bank CC, ANY "regular" non-promotional purchase, even an $9 SD card or $30 mouse, jumps to the front of the payment schedule.
So, if you are like me and you use their credit card for occasional big purchases, but also for medium purchases here and there, and make pre-set automatic payments to maintain a good credit history (761 fico last I checked, and yes I know who Dave Ramsey is)... then your occasional big purchases get shoved back further and further down the payment schedule. UNLESS YOU MANUALLY CALL IN and state you want the promotional balance paid FIRST, all payments go to non-promotional balance. Even if you do state the payment goes to the promotional balance, the payment will be split evenly between ALL promotional balances unless you AGAIN state specifically which they are to go to.
Turns out that of the current $650 balance (which I thought was almost all from a $500 TV plus a $200 microwave and $300 convection toaster oven that I bought THIS summer as part of a kitchen refresh) is actually $350 of LAST YEAR'S $800 dryer (18mo i/f), $200 of the TV (6mo i/f) and $100 of "regular purchases" (the oven and microwave were not on promotion)... and that NONE of last several month's $100 payments went to the dryer... I'll call in and MANUALLY pay $130 towards the dryer instead of $100 in "regular" payments for the next 3 months and avoid the addition $190 in interest they would have tacked on Jan 21st if I hadn't caught on, but shame on them for playing those games.
You would think the first thing you bought would get paid off first... i.e. buy a $800 dryer w/18 months "no interest", have it paid off after 16 mo with $50 payments (or 8mo with $100 monthly payments in my case)... NOPE.
Turns out that, unlike a Bank CC, ANY "regular" non-promotional purchase, even an $9 SD card or $30 mouse, jumps to the front of the payment schedule.
So, if you are like me and you use their credit card for occasional big purchases, but also for medium purchases here and there, and make pre-set automatic payments to maintain a good credit history (761 fico last I checked, and yes I know who Dave Ramsey is)... then your occasional big purchases get shoved back further and further down the payment schedule. UNLESS YOU MANUALLY CALL IN and state you want the promotional balance paid FIRST, all payments go to non-promotional balance. Even if you do state the payment goes to the promotional balance, the payment will be split evenly between ALL promotional balances unless you AGAIN state specifically which they are to go to.
Turns out that of the current $650 balance (which I thought was almost all from a $500 TV plus a $200 microwave and $300 convection toaster oven that I bought THIS summer as part of a kitchen refresh) is actually $350 of LAST YEAR'S $800 dryer (18mo i/f), $200 of the TV (6mo i/f) and $100 of "regular purchases" (the oven and microwave were not on promotion)... and that NONE of last several month's $100 payments went to the dryer... I'll call in and MANUALLY pay $130 towards the dryer instead of $100 in "regular" payments for the next 3 months and avoid the addition $190 in interest they would have tacked on Jan 21st if I hadn't caught on, but shame on them for playing those games.
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