It used to be much worse before the Obama-era "Credit CARD Act of 2009". Some highlights from the law: - Credit card companies have to give consumers at least

It used to be much worse before the Obama-era "Credit CARD Act of 2009". Some highlights from the law: - Credit card companies have to give consumers at least 21 days to pay from the time the bill is mailed. - Credit card companies must give consumers at least 45 days notice if their rates are about to go up. - Credit card companies must apply payment amounts "in excess of the minimum payment amount" to a consumer's highest interest rate balances first. Banks used to break all of those rules with abandon. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credit_CARD_Act_of_2009 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credit_CARD_Act_of_2009