Closing Date vs. Due Date?

Question

I pay off my credit card in full every month by the due date. But my closing date is almost two weeks later. Is it a bad idea to use the credit card between paying by the due date and the closing date? For some reason I always have a balance at the end of the statement even though I pay the card off by the due date.

Answer 1

You are always in one billing cycle or another.  The "closing date" is the last day of the cycle covered by that bill.  The day after that, you are in the next month's cycle and any activity will show up on the next bill.  They're just telling you what activity is showing on the bill.  

They don't have to give you a whole cycle to pay your bill.  The "due date" is the date by which they have to receive the payment for you to avoid late charges and interest.

Answer 2

The closing date is the real cut off when the card should be paid.

It can take a few days to process mail, so that is why they like to get paid early.

Answer 3

Ditto.