How to use the credit card payment date planner
- Enter the day of the month your statement closes, from 1 to 31.
- Choose how the due date is set: a number of days after closing, or a set day of the month.
- Enter the purchase date.
- Read the closing date, the due date, the days from the purchase to the due date, the best day to buy and the next 12 statements.
Formula
closing date = first closing day on or after the purchase date
due date = closing date + gap days, or the first due day after the closing date
days to pay = due date - purchase date
A closing day later than a month has is moved to that month’s last day, so a closing day of 31 means February 28 or 29, April 30 and so on.
A purchase on March 10, 2026
The statement closes on the 15th of each month and the payment is due 21 days after closing. A purchase on March 10 lands on the statement that closes Sunday, March 15, 2026, and that statement is due Sunday, April 5, 2026. That gives 26 days from the purchase to the due date.
The best day to buy is the day after the previous closing, February 16, because the purchase then waits for the March 15 statement and has 48 days before April 5. With a closing day of 31 and a due day of 25, a purchase on February 20, 2026 closes on Saturday, February 28 and is due Wednesday, March 25.
What this does not know
Issuers differ in when a purchase posts, how a closing date that falls on a weekend is handled and whether a grace period applies to a balance carried over. The page uses only the rules you enter and treats a purchase on the closing day as part of that statement.
Your statement shows the real dates. Use the page to plan, and the statement to confirm.
Why timing matters
A purchase made just after a statement closes appears on the next statement, so it has the longest time before it must be paid. A purchase just before closing has the shortest time. If you pay each statement in full by its due date, the timing changes only how long your money stays in your account.
To see what happens if you do not pay in full, use the Credit Card Interest Calculator.
Assumptions and limits
- The closing day is the same every month, with short months using their last day.
- A purchase made on the closing day is counted on that statement.
- The due date can move for weekends and holidays at your issuer. This page does not move it.
- Grace period rules and interest are not modeled.
- The default values are examples. Use the numbers from your own statement.
Frequently asked questions
Is the due date based on the statement date or the closing date?
In this tool they are the same day. Some issuers print a statement date a day or two after the cycle closes, so check which day your statement uses and enter that.
What happens when my closing day is the 31st?
In months with fewer than 31 days the statement closes on the last day of the month. February uses the 28th, or the 29th in a leap year.
Why does the best day to buy change from card to card?
It is always the day after your closing date, so it depends on the closing day you enter. A card that closes on the 15th has its best day on the 16th.
Can I use this for a loan or a store card?
Yes, for any account that has a fixed closing day and a due date set either by a gap in days or by a day of the month. The page only does date arithmetic.