If you pay your entire credit card balance or a portion of it before the bill generation date, your payment reflects immediately, your available credit increases and your credit utilization decreases. If you paid the entire balance, your bill will have no payment due if you do not make any further purchases on the card before the bill is generated. If you made a partial balance payment, the amount is reflected on the bill, lowering the amount due. You can make payments on your credit card at any time without penalty. Just make sure to always pay at least the minimum payment due per the statement to avoid a late payment fee or the balance in full to avoid interest.