Missing a due date is usually described as forgetting. Often it is closer to never reaching the moment: the bill was in your head, then the week happened, and the date passed without ever being in front of you.
This guide is about a memory-light way to handle it. It is practical help, not medical advice, and it covers the dates, not the amounts. For what to do once one has been missed, see you missed a payment: what to do next.
A system that does not rely on remembering
Put the date on the item
Write the bill as an item with the date attached, not only in a calendar you do not open.
Choose the reminder yourself
Pick whether you want one, and for which dates.
Choose quiet hours
So a reminder does not arrive when you cannot act on it.
Keep the lock screen private
A reminder that says what it is about can be read by anyone nearby.
Check it once a week
A short look at what has a date in the next few days.
Two ways to handle a due date
- The date lives in your head
- A reminder you set once and never see
- A calendar you rarely open
- The date lives with the thing
- A reminder you chose and can switch off
- One place to look
Relying on memory
- The date lives in your head
- A reminder you set once and never see
- A calendar you rarely open
Putting it on the item
- The date lives with the thing
- A reminder you chose and can switch off
- One place to look
A note on automatic payment
Automatic payment can take a due date out of your head, which is a real help. It also hides the amount, and it fails quietly if a card expires or a balance is low. Whether it suits you depends on your accounts. It is worth knowing both sides before you decide.
The day you notice it is late
If you notice a payment is late, the first step is small: find the reference and contact them, without an essay of explanation. That is covered in the guide linked above. Then put the next date on the item so it does not happen again.