You can pay your credit card bill at any point during the billing cycle, even before you receive your monthly statement. On your statement closing date, which is usually at least 21 days before your payment due date, your card issuer will calculate your interest charges for the month and your minimum payment. It also reports your payment to the credit bureaus. If you pay off your balance before this date, your payment will reduce or eliminate your balance and give you more credit to spend in the second half of the month. Making a payment will also lower your credit utilization ratio because credit bureaus only see what the credit card issuers report once per month. When your credit card bill arrives, it should show all of your purchases for the month, plus your first payment. Your new balance should list your remaining balance for the billing cycle. If you pay after the statement closing date but before you actually receive your statement, you can calculate what you owe by subtracting what you've already paid from the new balance on your credit card statement when it arrives.