The best way to stay away from the drawbacks of using a credit card is to keep a regular check on your credit card’s outstanding balance. Doing this is equally simple as it is important, and to make it easier for you, we have listed down the available ways in which you can easily check credit card balance.
What is Credit Card Balance?
A credit card balance is basically the total amount of money left after deducting the spends from the credit limit. As you make purchases on your credit card, your credit card balance decreases, and when you make the payments of your credit card bills, your credit card balance increases. This can be easily checked by making a credit card balance inquiry.
It is important to check credit card balance because when you begin to use a credit card frequently, you tend to loosen your hands on making expensive purchases, which might eventually leave you indebted. Hence, it is absolutely necessary to monitor your available credit card limit at regular intervals in order to pay all your dues well in time.
Also referred to as statement balance, the credit card balance consists of the unbilled amount as well as the outstanding amount, which needs to be paid by the credit card holder to the bank/credit card issuer. It is important to note that if you fail to pay your dues on time, you will be liable to pay finance charges on your due amount.
Ways to Check Your Credit Card Outstanding Balance
There are multiple ways to make a credit card balance inquiry. We have listed each of these ways, with the steps to follow-
Internet Banking- With the technological advancements flooding in, every bank has a net banking service option for their customers. You can log in to your bank’s internet banking portal using your credentials. Once you are logged in to the portal, you need to visit the ‘My Account’ section and click on ‘Credit Card Balance’. Alternatively, you can also check your credit card’s outstanding balance under ‘unbilled transactions’.
Note: If you had applied for internet banking right at the time of issuing your credit card, then you would have received your internet banking credentials with your welcome kit. Else, you can also choose to apply for internet banking on the bank’s official website.
Mobile Application- One of the simplest ways to check your credit card balance is to use the bank’s mobile application. If you have activated your internet banking, you can simply log in to your account across various mobile devices and check your credit card’s balance with a single touch. Using a mobile application will allow you to perform various other functions as well, including money transfer, requesting changes in the information provided, or updating your personal details.
Mobile SMS- If you have subscribed for transaction alerts via SMS, your bank will keep notifying you to check credit card balance on the registered mobile number as and when you make any transactions using your credit card. Hence, you must keep an eye on your SMSs to check your credit card outstanding balance.
Visiting the Bank’s Branch- For your credit card balance inquiry, you can also choose to visit your bank’s nearest branch. After providing a few card-related details, the representatives at the bank will give you all the details about your available credit card balance. This process, however, is pretty time-consuming and not very common in today’s technology-led times.
Customer Service- Using your bank’s customer support services, you can contact the executives and ask for the details of your credit card minimum balance. The customer support executive will ask you for an authentication pin for the purpose of verification of your identity. The customer support staff is available 24*7 for your convenience.
Visiting the ATM- Another way of checking the available credit card balance is to visit the ATM, insert your card, and follow the simple steps appearing on the machine. You will, however, be asked to enter your PIN to prove your authenticity.
Monthly Credit Card Statement- Every bank/credit card issuer sends out credit card statements to their customers on a monthly basis. This statement is generated at the end of every billing cycle to the customer’s email or residential address (only if you have subscribed for a hard copy). Most of the issuers send out password-protected documents that can only be accessed by the cardholder and nobody else. This password is generally a combination of the cardholder’s card number or date of birth, etc.
Why is it Important to Check Your Credit Card Balance?
Now that you know how to know the credit card balance, let’s understand why it is so important to do so-
- Helps in timely payments of all the credit card dues
- Allows you to manage your upcoming finances effectively since you already have an idea of your available credit limit
- Lets you keep an eye on fraudulent/suspicious transactions that might happen with your credit card
- By visiting the bank’s branch
- Calling customer support executives
- Via SMS facilities offered by the banks
- Visiting the ATM
- Using Mobile application
- Through Internet Banking
- Calling customer support service center
- Visiting the bank’s branch
- SMS facilities