> For Japanese readers: in the United States, when you get your statement, you can pay in full, in which case you will not be charged interest, or you can pay a

> For Japanese readers: in the United States, when you get your statement, you can pay in full, in which case you will not be charged interest, or you can pay any amount less than full but more than a specified minimum payment, in which case you will be charged interest on a revolving basis, starting on the day you made the transaction but being assessed in the statement cycle following the one you didn’t pay in full. You are correct, this system is virtually incomprehensible to people not professionally involved in it, and it is a cause of much angst for users and regulators of the financial industry. It is probably because of America's inscrutable culture. At first I didn't get the implied joke jab, sincerely wondered about the same thing myself.