Barclays Scheduled Payments
I have a lot of credit cards. While I try to stay up on all of them, I am still afraid that one or two will fall through the cracks. For that reason I tend to setup automatic payments just in case I forget to pay the bill.
The problem is I don’t normally forget to pay the bill. With most companies if you have automatic payments setup and manually pay the bill, the automatic payment will get cancelled.
Barclays Scheduled Payments Are Not Normal
Unfortunately up until this point Barclay’s was not that way. More than a few people I know including myself have learned this the hard way. I learned one month when I paid a $2,000 balance manually only to find that Barclay’s took another $2,000 out of my bank on the payment due date leaving me with a huge account credit.
My solution to this was to alter my automatic payments to only cover the minimum payment on the account. This way if I forget to pay it, I don’t get hit with a late charge, but I don’t end up paying huge bills twice. The down side of this is that I would get hit with interest charges if I didn’t make the manual payment. Thankfully this has not happened.
Fortunately though Barclay’s sent me an email today stating that they are changing the way their automatic payment system works. Here are the details:
- Now, if at the time we process your payment, your Current Balance is less than your scheduled Repeat Payment, we’ll reduce your payment or cancel it if your statement balance is $0. We’ll use the Current Balance on your account the day before your Payment Due Date to determine the amount we’ll withdraw.
- Your Repeat Payment will still be processed even if you make additional payments on your account between the Statement Date and Payment Due Date.
So it looks to me that they will only process the automatic payment for whatever the balance is on the account. If you manually pay the account down to $0 ahead of time, then they will skip the payment. I am not sure why they didn’t do this before, however it is a welcome change!
Airbnb Coupon
While this doesn’t warrant its own post, it is still a good deal. I just received an email from airbnb stating that new members can get 20% off of their first booking by using the code 20off through November 1. The minimum booking amount has to be $200. Here are the terms:
The 20% discount is valid only for guests who have never completed a booking on Airbnb. To receive the discount, you must book via the Airbnb platform with the discount code as provided in this email prior to booking. You must complete a booking (including host acceptance) using the code before 11:59 pm PDT (California time) on November 1, 2014. The discount applies to the base cost of your reservation up to a maximum value of USD$200 off your reservation (excluding cleaning, service fees or taxes). No minimum length of stay required. The coupon is valid for a single use and is not transferrable to another user or redeemable for cash. If your booking later qualifies for a refund, the maximum refund you may receive is the amount you actually paid. The code may not be used for bookings made through Airbnb’s mobile apps and may not be combined with other coupons or codes. Host payouts will not be affected by permissible guest use of the code. Airbnb reserves the right to any remedy, including denial of the discount or cancellation of your account or reservations, if fraud, tampering, violations of Airbnb’s Terms of Service or technical errors are suspected.
I had mixed experiences earlier this year when trying to use airbnb for last minute travel, however I did use it in Valparaiso, Chile.
While airbnb may not be for everyone, I feel it is worth checking. The rates on airbnb can be significantly cheaper than hotels and at the very least it is another tool to use when looking for the cheapest rates.
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