Current:Home > MarketsAn $8 credit card late fee cap sounds good now, but it may hurt you later. Here's how.-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
An $8 credit card late fee cap sounds good now, but it may hurt you later. Here's how.
View Date:2024-12-23 15:50:49
A new $8 cap on credit card late fees is touted as helping more than 45 million credit card holders save an average of $220 annually, but will it really?
Reviews are mixed for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) latest move to kill “junk fees.” The average credit card late fee has ballooned to $32 in 2022 from $23 at the end of 2010, the CFPB said. With the cap going into effect, the agency estimates Americans will save more than $10 billion a year.
But some financial experts warn the savings and benefits may not last.
“The reality is that (capping late fees) will also increase the likelihood that banks raise other types of fees to make up for the lost revenue,” said Matt Schulz, chief credit analyst at financial products comparison site LendingTree.
What is the CFPB rule on credit card late fees?
Only the largest issuers, with at least a million open accounts, must cap late fees to $8 per incident. They also can’t raise the fee after the first incident or adjust it higher annually for inflation, the CFPB said.
Learn more: Best credit cards of 2023
Banks currently can charge $25 for the first late payment, and $35 for subsequent late payments, with both amounts adjusted for inflation each year, the CFPB said.
“Those amounts have ballooned to $30 and $41, even as credit card companies have moved to cheaper, digital business processes,” the agency said.
Under the new rule, which goes into effect 60 days after its publication in the Federal Register, banks will only be able to raise their fee above $8 if they prove their collection costs exceed $8, the CFPB said.
But that’s unlikely to happen. Banks won’t want to lose business with higher fees compared to their competitors, Schulz said. “That's good news for consumers, but not so great for banks' bottom lines.”
Taking out the junk:President Biden looks to trash 'junk fees' in new rule aiming to protect consumers
How could the cap hurt consumers?
Banks will eventually hike other fees to regain lost revenue. Balance transfer fees have been rising, “and this could very well accelerate that growth,” for example, Schulz said.
Even those who use nonprofit credit unions instead of large for-profit banks would suffer because credit unions won’t be able to afford to manage risks associated with their credit card programs, said Jim Nussle, president and chief executive of nonprofit advocate group America’s Credit Union.
That’ll result in either increased costs for all cardholders or eliminating credit card programs for those with lower credit scores or thin credit profiles, tightening credit availability, he said.
The low fee, “approximately the cost of a Big Mac and a large Coke,” wouldn’t discourage people from paying bills late which “potentially traps millions of consumers in a cycle of debt,” he said.
Remember, “just because late fees may be reduced, they will still continue to add up if payments aren’t made,” said John Jones, financial adviser at Heritage Financial. And “any late credit card payments will still negatively impact your credit. A damaged credit score can cost you more in the long run.”
Medora Lee is a money, markets, and personal finance reporter at USA TODAY. You can reach her at [email protected] and subscribe to our free Daily Money newsletter for personal finance tips and business news every Monday through Friday.
veryGood! (32998)
Related
- Giuliani’s lawyers after $148M defamation judgment seek to withdraw from his case
- Most memorable national anthems as country star Cody Johnson readies for MLB All-Star gig
- Whoopi Goldberg Reveals She Scattered Her Mom's Ashes on Disneyland Ride
- North Carolina House Democratic deputy leader Clemmons to resign from Legislature
- Gigi Hadid and Bradley Cooper Prove They're Going Strong With Twinning Looks on NYC Date
- Joe Manganiello Says Sofía Vergara's Reason for Divorce Is Simply Not True
- Shop Amazon Prime Day’s Deepest, Jaw-Dropping Discounts -- Beauty, Fashion, Tech & More up to 84% Off
- Dallas Mavericks' Kyrie Irving undergoes surgery on left hand
- Ryan Reynolds Makes Dream Come True for 9-Year-Old Fan Battling Cancer
- Anger over Houston power outages after Beryl has repair crews facing threats from some residents
Ranking
- Week 10 fantasy football rankings: PPR, half-PPR and standard leagues
- 2024 MLB All-Star Game live updates: Full rosters, how to watch, betting predictions
- Webcam monitors hundreds of rattlesnakes at a Colorado ‘mega den’ for citizen science
- Johnny Depp Is Dating Model Yulia Vlasova
- Noem’s Cabinet appointment will make a plain-spoken rancher South Dakota’s new governor
- MLB national anthem performers: What to know about Cody Johnson, Ingrid Andress
- Forest fire breaks out at major military gunnery range in New Jersey
- Plain old bad luck? New Jersey sports betting revenue fell 24% in June from a year ago
Recommendation
-
The Surreal Life’s Kim Zolciak Fuels Dating Rumors With Costar Chet Hanks After Kroy Biermann Split
-
Mississippi state Sen. McLendon is cleared of DUI charge in Alabama, court records show
-
Busy Moms Deserve These Amazon Prime Day Beauty Essentials on Revlon, Laneige & More, Starting at $2
-
Webcam monitors hundreds of rattlesnakes at a Colorado ‘mega den’ for citizen science
-
Judge weighs the merits of a lawsuit alleging ‘Real Housewives’ creators abused a cast member
-
Southwest Airlines offers Amazon Prime Day deals. Here's how much you can save on flights.
-
JD Vance charted a Trump-centric, populist path in Senate as he fought GOP establishment
-
USWNT vs. Costa Rica live updates: Time, how to stream Olympics send-off game tonight