How To Pay Capital One Credit Card【UPDATED December 2024】

Capital One offers cardholders many convenient options for making credit card payments. Here are some of the most popular ways to pay your Capital One credit card bill:

Online

The quickest way to make a payment is logging in to your Capital One account online and submitting a payment directly from your bank account. The funds will usually reach your account within 2-3 business days.

App

Use the Capital One mobile app for iOS or Android to make secure payments right from your phone. Just link a bank account and submit payments whenever it’s convenient.

Phone

Call Capital One’s automated payment system anytime at 1-800-955-7070. You’ll need your 16-digit card number and account details. Talk to a live agent if you prefer human assistance.

Mail

Send a physical check or money order to the payment address listed on your statement. Allow 5-7 days for standard mail or up to 2 days if you use express shipping.

In Person

Take your payment to any Capital One branch or mail it from the post office to have it directly in their hands and processed faster.

AutoPay

Set up recurring automatic payments from your checking account on your due date for convenience. You can adjust the payment amount at any time.

Choose the option that works best for your schedule and payment preferences each month.

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Tips for Paying Your Capital One Card

Follow these tips when making payments on your Capital One credit card for the best results:

Pay on time – Make at least the minimum payment before the monthly due date to avoid late fees and credit damage.
Pay online – Electronic payments process faster than mail. Allow 2-3 days for your available credit to replenish.
Pay more than minimum – Pay above the minimum when possible to reduce interest charges.
Schedule payments – Set a monthly reminder on your calendar so your payment is never late.
Use AutoPay – Set up automatic payments so your bill gets paid on time without you having to remember.

Can You Pay a Capital One Credit Card With a Debit Card?

Capital One does allow cardholders to make credit card payments by using a debit card in certain situations:

You can use a debit card online when logged into your Capital One account to make one-time payments.
Debit card payments are accepted over the automated pay-by-phone system.
At a Capital One branch, tellers can process in-person debit card payments.
You cannot set up autopay with a debit card – only checking accounts are eligible.

The payment will be processed just like any other debit transaction, with funds immediately withdrawn from your checking account. Just make sure your debit card is not maxed out.

Other Ways to Pay Without a Checking Account

If you do not have a bank account, here are some other ways to pay your Capital One card:

Use a money order purchased with cash from a retailer like the post office.
Visit a Capital One branch and make a cash payment in person.
Use PayPal to transfer funds and make an online credit card payment.
Reloadable prepaid debit cards can also be used if registered online.

Can You Pay at a Retail Store?

Capital One credit cards cannot be paid at just any retail store. However, you do have these options for making payments in person:

Capital One Branches – Visit any Capital One bank or café to make a cash or debit card payment.
Western Union – Pay with cash at Western Union and they will transfer the funds to Capital One.
Post Office – USPS locations accept money orders purchased with cash.

For security reasons, Capital One does not allow payments through third-party bill pay retailers. Use their own channels or USPS/Western Union to pay your card in person.

Making Online Payments to Capital One

Paying online through Capital One’s website or mobile app is the fastest and most convenient way to make a credit card payment. Here are some tips for online payments:

Log in to your Capital One account online or through the app.
Under Billing or Payments, click Pay Now or Make a Payment.
Enter your payment amount and select which account to pull funds from.
There are no fees for using ACH payments from a bank account.
Debit cards can also be used to make one-time payments.
Allow 2-3 business days for payments to process and post.

Online payments are secure, processed quickly, and let you easily track when your balance updates.

Can You Pay at an ATM?

Unfortunately, Capital One credit card payments cannot be made at ATMs. ATMs only allow withdrawals from bank accounts, not credit card payments.

To make a cash payment, you will need to visit a Capital One branch or use an alternative like Western Union or a money order purchased with cash.

Paying by Phone

Capital One’s automated pay-by-phone system allows you to make quick one-time payments or set up recurring autopay. Here is how it works:

Call 1-800-955-7070, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Select your language preference when prompted.
Enter your 16-digit Capital One credit card number.
Follow prompts to enter payment amount, select a linked bank account, set up AutoPay, or speak to an agent.

Pay-by-phone is secure, convenient, and helps you avoid late fees if you missed your due date. Live agents can also assist with any account questions.

Can You Pay With Cash?

Capital One allows credit card payments to be made in cash through a couple different methods:

In person at any Capital One branch or café.
Western Union will accept a cash payment and transfer funds to Capital One for you.
USPS money orders can be purchased with cash and mailed to Capital One.

For tracking and security reasons, direct cash payments are only accepted in person, not mailed directly. Use a money order purchased with cash if mailing a payment.

Why Your Capital One Available Credit May Show $0 After Payment

Here are some potential reasons your Capital One available credit shows $0 after making a payment:

Pending Payment

Capital One usually takes a few days to process payments and update your available credit. If you just made a payment, it may show as pending and temporarily reduce your available credit to $0 until it is fully processed.

Payment Greater Than Statement Balance

If your payment was greater than your last statement balance, your available credit will temporarily show as $0. Once the payment is processed, your available credit will be replenished.

Account Credit Limit

If your payment paid your balance down to $0, your available credit will also show $0 until you build your credit back up with new transactions.

Recent Charges

If you have new charges that have not yet appeared on your statement, this will reduce your available credit until those transactions are fully processed.

Account Status

Issues like past due payments, exceeding your credit limit, or suspected fraud may cause Capital One to temporarily restrict your available credit.

How Long It Takes For Available Credit To Update

In most cases, your Capital One available credit will update within a few days after making a payment. Here is a breakdown of the typical processing times:

Online payments – Can take 2-3 business days to fully update.
Mailed payments – Can take 5-10 business days as they need to be delivered and processed.
Overpayment – May show $0 for a few days until the credit refunds to your account.
Pending charges – Can take up to 10 days for recent charges to update.

Steps To Take If Your Available Credit Remains $0

If your Capital One available credit is still showing $0 after a week or more, here are some steps you can take to get it resolved:

Call Capital One

Contact Capital One’s customer service department. They can review your account details and recent transactions to determine why your available credit is $0. They may be able to manually update it over the phone.

Pay Down Any Balance

Log in and pay down any remaining balance on your account. This will free up credit that may be pending and allow your available credit to update.

Review Recent Charges

Carefully review your recent charges and payments to make sure a payment is not still pending or that new transactions have not further reduced your available credit.

Request a Credit Line Increase

If your balance is consistently close to your credit limit, request a higher limit from Capital One. This will give you more available credit to work with each month.

Wait For Your Next Statement

In most cases, your available credit will be updated with your next billing statement. Allow your statement to fully close to give Capital One time to process any pending activity.

Tips to Avoid $0 Available Credit in the Future

To help avoid issues with $0 available credit after making payments to Capital One, here are some helpful tips:

Pay on time – Set up autopay or make manual payments before the due date to avoid penalties that may restrict your credit.
Keep balances low – Try to keep your balances under 30% of your credit limit so charges don’t max it out.
Review statements – Carefully review each month’s transactions so you know exactly where your credit stands.
Give payments time – Allow 5-7 days for online payments and up to 10 days for mailed payments.
Plan large purchases – If you plan to make a large purchase, pay your balance down first so you have available credit.

Does a $0 Available Credit Hurt Your Credit Score?

A $0 available credit balance alone will not hurt your credit score. However, there are some scenarios where it could have a negative impact:

If your $0 available credit is caused by consistently carrying a maxed out credit card balance each month, this credit utilization can lower your score.
If you are unable to make payments due to a $0 available credit, and you miss payments as a result, late payments will damage your credit profile.
If your $0 balance causes you to go over your credit limit, an over-the-limit fee could be incurred and reported to the credit bureaus.

As long as your $0 available credit is temporary and you continue making on-time payments, it should not negatively impact your credit score. Your available credit will be replenished and your score maintained once Capital One finishes processing your payments.

Contacting Capital One

If you need to get in touch with Capital One to ask about your available credit or account balance, here are some ways to reach their customer service team:

By Phone

Capital One’s customer service line is available 24/7 at 1-877-383-4802. Wait times are often shortest in the early morning or late evening hours. You may need to provide identifying information like your name, account number, Social Security Number, or address.

Online Chat

You can access online chat help through your Capital One account portal. Log in and look for the “Contact Us” or “Help” section. Chat agents are available 24/7 and can answer questions or investigate your account balance in real time.

Secure Message

Send Capital One a secure message through your account asking about your available credit and when it will be restored. They usually reply within 1-2 business days. You need to be logged into your account to access the secure messaging feature.

Removing Late Payments From Your Credit Report

If limited available credit resulted in late payments on your Capital One card which are now appearing on your credit report, here are some options for removing those negatives marks:

Ask Capital One to Remove

Contact Capital One and politely ask if they would be willing to remove the late payments that resulted from your account’s available credit being $0. If it was a legitimate confusion, they may agree to delete the marks as a one-time courtesy.

Submit a Goodwill Letter

Write a goodwill removal letter explaining the situation around the late payments and politely asking that Capital One remove them from your credit history. Highlight that you’re a long-time customer in good standing.

Dispute the Late Payments

You can submit disputes directly to the three major credit bureaus – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Claim the late payments are inaccurate and provide notes about the unavailable credit balance issue. The bureaus will investigate with Capital One.

Wait for Them to Fall Off

If the late payments are accurate, they will automatically fall off your credit report after 7 years. You may need to wait out this period, but the impact on your credit score will decrease over time.

With patience and persistence, you may be able to work with Capital One to remove any late payment marks that were caused by your account’s available credit being drained to $0 after making a payment.

What Happens If You Miss a Payment?

Missing payments on your Capital One card can result in penalties, fees, and damage to your credit score. Here is what can happen if you fail to make at least the minimum payment by the due date:

A late payment fee around $40 will be assessed to your account.
Your APR interest rate may be increased.
You will be reported as late to the credit bureaus, hurting your credit score.
Your account could be closed, requiring repayment of the entire balance.
You may lose access to special financing offers, rewards programs, etc.

Avoid these negative consequences by carefully paying at least the minimum due every billing cycle, or signing up for autopay as a backup.

Can You Pay at a Capital One Location?

All Capital One branches and cafés allow you to make credit card payments in person. Here are some tips for paying at a location:

Bring your card or account number and a government-issued ID.
Tell the associate you want to make a credit card payment.
You can pay with cash, a debit card, money order, or traveler’s check.
Get a receipt as proof of your in-person payment.
Payments made in a branch are processed same-day.
You can also take care of other needs like card replacements while visiting.

Paying at a Capital One location is secure, convenient, and ensures your payment gets processed quickly. Locate your nearest branch on Capital One’s website.

Paying Off Your Balance in Full Each Month

Paying off your balance in full each billing cycle is the best practice for credit card use. Here are some major benefits of paying off your Capital One card in full monthly:

You’ll avoid interest charges since no balance carries over.
It protects your credit by keeping your utilization low.
You can earn rewards on purchases without paying interest.
It maintains full available credit on your account.
No risk of debt spiraling out of control.

Pay off as much as you can each month. If you cannot pay in full, always pay more than the minimum to keep interest down.

Tips for Paying in Full

Here are some tips to help you pay off your Capital One card in full each billing cycle:

Make a budget to ensure you have funds set aside for payments.
Consider balance transfers to a 0% APR card.
Cut unnecessary expenses if your income cannot cover credit card spending.
Pay down balances aggressively with any extra income.
Use autopay or payment reminders so the date is not missed.

Full monthly payments take discipline but save money and improve your credit health in the long run.

What Happens if You Close an Account With a Balance?

If you need to close a Capital One credit card that still has a balance, here is what will happen:

You will no longer be able to make charges on the closed account.
You are still responsible for paying off the remaining balance per the card agreement.
The account will be closed once the balance is paid in full.
Interest and late fees will continue to accrue on the existing balance.
Your credit score may drop from the closed account and high utilization.

Avoid closing accounts with balances unless absolutely necessary, as you will still need to repay the balance while losing use of the credit line.

Does Capital One Offer Payment Extensions?

If you are struggling to make your minimum payment, Capital One may offer payment extensions on a case-by-case basis. Some options to request include:

Due Date Extension – Move your due date a few days to allow more time for your payment.
Partial Payment Plan – Make part of your minimum payment now and the rest later.
Temporary Reduced Payment – Qualify to make smaller payments for a short period.

Contact Capital One before your due date to explain your situation and request an accommodation. Keep in mind extended payment plans may incur fees and interest.

Can You Reopen a Closed Account?

In some cases, Capital One may allow you to reopen a credit card account you previously closed. Here is what to know:

Accounts closed in good standing within the last 30 days can often be reopened upon request.
After 30 days, reopening is less likely but may still be approved after review.
You’ll need to reapply if the account has been closed for several months or years.
Any unpaid balance would need to be resolved before reopening the account.

If you change your mind shortly after closing your card, call Capital One ASAP to request reopening the account. The longer it’s been, the lower the odds.

Alternatives to Closing an Account

Instead of closing your Capital One account, consider these alternatives:

Ask for a lower interest rate to save on costs.
Seek a higher credit limit so you can keep balances low.
Pay down your balance aggressively to zero out the account.
Contact Capital One to resolve any customer service issues.
Freeze your card in your account to stop usage temporarily.

Closing credit card accounts can damage your credit score. Avoid it unless absolutely needed by utilizing other account management options.