YNAB win, sort of: got a late fee reversed

Today I found out my mental calendar isn't as reliable as I would have liked. I thought my credit card payment was due today, and sent the money late last week so it would clear in time.

Today I logged in to check all was well, only to discover a $20 late fee was applied on Friday. Turns out the payment was due last Monday. Whoops.

This is a pretty rare occurrence for me (pretty sure it's the first one in at least 5 years), and my initial reaction was that it sucked, but I'll be more careful to put the date in my calendar and schedule the payment next month so I can't get it wrong. I'm very non-confrontational, the thought of requesting it be waived was scary - and anyway, I was late so I deserved the fee.

But then I went to add it to YNAB and... I couldn't work out where to cover the $20 from. I'm pushing hard to get my one month buffer established, and I really didn't want to move money back out of anything else. I deliberated for a while, but couldn't actually do it.

So I worked up the nerve to call the bank, and... it was so easy! I didn't even have to ask, I just said I was calling about the late fee, and the rep immediately moved on to arranging the refund! Such a relief, and now I don't have to cover the cost from anywhere else.

Anyway. I probably would have just paid it if it wasn't for YNAB, and I'm so glad it pushed me to contact them. YNAB saves me money in many ways!