When you make an online payment to your credit card, many issuers will post your payment the same day. However, most issuers will not updated your available credit immediately. This depends on issuer and sometimes varies based on your history with the credit card issuer. Here are the payment posting and available credit release rules for each major issuer.
Payment posting and available credit times for each issuer
Here are the payment posting deadlines and available credit release timelines for the major credit card issuers.
| Issuer | Same-day posting deadline | Available credit release timeframe |
|---|---|---|
| American Express | 8:00 p.m. US-Mountain time. | Within minutes. |
| Bank of America | 11:59 p.m. US-Eastern time. | Within 2 business days. |
| Capital One | 8:00 p.m. US-Eastern time, Monday through Saturday. | In practice, this happens within a few days. |
| Chase | 11:59 p.m. US-Eastern time. | Within 1-3 business days. |
| Citibank | Midnight, US-Eastern time. | Within 7 business day. |
| U.S. Bank | Varies between 6:00 p.m. local time and branch closing time, depending on where you pay. Most online payments require payment by 7 p.m. central time | Next business day to two business days |
How to read this table
Here’s what each column in the above table means.
Same-day posting deadline. You must make a payment by the same-day posting deadline for it to be credited to your account on the day you make it. Your payment won’t necessarily be debited from your bank account the same day, but if you make a payment by the bank’s same-day posting deadline, your credit card account will reflect a payment made on that day. Unless otherwise mentioned in the table, payments can be made during bank holidays and weekends.
Available credit release timeframe. This is how long it will take your bank to release your available credit after you make your payment. If you’re approaching your credit limit, you may not be able to make purchases on your card until your available credit is released. Often, your available credit will update a few days after you make your payment.
Payment posting and credit line release rules for each issuer
Here’s a bit more detail on the payment posting and credit line release policies each issuer.
American Express
American Express credit card payment posting rules
According to American Express, “Payments must be submitted by 8:00 p.m. MST to be posted with today’s date.”
American Express available credit release rules
In my experience, American Express updates your available credit within minutes of you making your payments. When you make a payment, you’ll see the message, “Your account balances and available credit will update shortly.”
Bank of America
Bank of America credit card payment posting and credit release rules
Here’s what Bank of America says in its online service agreement:
Payments to your Loan accounts from a consumer asset account maintained at another financial institution that are initiated by 11:59 p.m. ET will be applied on the same day. It may take up to 2 business days for these updates to be reflected in your account balances, funds availability, and transaction posting.
Bank of America Online Service agreement
Capital One
Capital One credit card payment posting rules
Here’s what Capital One’s ENO customer service bot tells us when we are logged into our account:
Your payment will typically post the same day if you make it online or by text, but it may take another business day or longer for credit to be available. The exceptions are:
- After 8 p.m. ET Monday-Friday, it’ll post the next day
- After 8 p.m. ET Saturday and all day Sunday, it’ll post the following Monday
- On Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s Day, it’ll post the next business day
Chase
Chase credit card payment posting rules
According to Chase’s online payment website, “If you’re paying between 8 PM and 11:59 PM ET, we’ll credit your account for the date you choose, but you might not see it for 1 to 2 days.”
Chase available credit release rules
Chase does not appear to have a published rule about when your available credit will be released. According to a representative we spoke with, your available credit will be released within 1-3 days of making a payment.
Citibank
Citi credit card payment posting rules
Here’s what Citi says about your payment posting: “If we receive your online payment request for your consumer credit card by midnight Eastern time, your balance will be credited as of that calendar day. Please be aware, your payment account will typically be debited within 2-3 business days.”
Citi available credit release rules
According to Citi, “Please allow up to 7 business days for your available credit to reflect any payments made to your account.”
U.S. Bank
U.S. Bank credit card payment posting rules
Your payment will usually post to your account the same day if you make a phone payment or online payment before the earlier of 6:00 p.m. local time and 8:00 p.m. U.S. central time. Payment posting cut-off times vary by payment method, whether your due date falls on a business day or a non-business day, and whether your payment is coming from a U.S. Bank or external account. A complete table of posting times is available here.
U.S. Bank available credit release rules
In most cases, U.S. Bank makes funds available within 1-2 business days, depending on how you make the payment and whether the payment comes from a U.S. Bank account. U.S. bank publishes a table with these rules here.
