Credit card application What the media say
The company may also raise your interest rate by ten percent or more on the pretext that you've shown yourself to be a bad creditor and a credit risk. You know you're not a risk, you just forgot to drop the check in the mail, but that doesn't matter; the agreement you signed with the company says they can do it, and they will. So pay your bills for student credit cards a few days early, and arrange for automatic payments if you can. If you realize you're going to be late, call the company immediately and see if you can make a rush payment. Rush payments cost extra, usually about $15, but they can preserve your credit rating.