In reply to ThunderCat:
> I think so, yeah. I'd never allow myself to fall into the trap, but I'm a bit obsessive with not paying card companies any interest (apart from the initial transfer fee) but I appreciate it could be an easy thing to fall into
That's me, I use my card for everything and pay in full every month until the time I didn't.
I booked a campsite for 30 ish people, some paid by check, some with cash and some bank transfer. I paid the card company for every pitch except my own by mistake. My original ballance was a couple of grand (the holiday plus my month's purchases and fuel for my van) I was about £40 or so short.
Next month there was around £200 interest, I rang them to ask why I was being billed £200 interest on a £40 debt and was told that they charge interest on the full balance and not the outstanding balance. I can't see how that is legal.
Fortunately they accepted that I had made a a genuine mistake and credited my account for the interest.
Ps how do they make money, ae well as relying on people not paying in full they also get a % of all purchases.