Billing Cycle

If you’ve ever been slapped with a late fee on your credit card, that’s probably because you didn’t know the billing cycle. The billing cycle is the time between Time A and Time B, where you’ll be billed for anything bought in between those times.

Like the name implies, billing cycles are recurring, so that the end of your first billing cycle is the beginning of your second (and so on and so on and so on...).

Related or Semi-related Video

Finance: What is a Banker's Acceptance N...205 Views

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Finance a la shmoop, what are bankers acceptance notes and cashier's checks ok

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so bankers acceptance note what is it well it's kind of a t-bill but with [Guy holding up the note]

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fewer calories that is a bank takes on the risk or promise of a future payment

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to be made to a creditor and it's you know backed by the bank and it's kind of [The bank and government building behind the note]

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backed by the federal government sorta sound weird well it is bankers

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acceptance notices are generally used in foreign trade where the two parties well

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just don't trust each other think about it like an escrow account when you buy a [People taking out a for sale sign]

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home the funds get released once it's confirmed that the home does not in fact [Bars covering a vault of money open]

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have nuclear waste under it the gal who says she's the owner of the home is in

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fact the owner and the forward costs of taxes have all been paid like it's a [Escrow account checklist]

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good sale the home's legally available to be sold in fact and after all the [Sold sticker is put on the sale sign]

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boxes have been checked well then the money releases from the bank to the

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seller and all's good while bankers acceptance notes work in [Money going to a person from the bank]

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the same fashion like the shipment of Chinese tow traps way more comfortable

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than the finger version was in fact found and picked up at the loading dock [Someone putting their finger into the trap]

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brought back to the factory and you know tested on chimps sorry Pete oh we're

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just keeping it real at that point the bank pays the foreign bank and while [Protesters]

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everyone's happy ish why pay the extra fees for a system to work this way like

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banks don't pay banks for free well because banks generally quote know each

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other unquote better than individuals know

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each other across foreign borders US banks trade with banks in whatever Stan [Money going across a map of the Earth]

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all the time even when US banks have no idea where whatever stand is or what it

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whatever stands for then you've got the kissing cousin of the bankers acceptance

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note the cashier's check well the cashier's check is guaranteed

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by the bank and drawn against the bank's own cash reserves that check is signed

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by a cashier as if the bank itself is buying whatever product is being paid

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for with a cashier's check the bank is the entity fully responsible for paying [Tow traps going to the bank]

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that amount and because of this quote extremely guaranteed safety unquote

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cashier's checks are common in complex or expensive transactions like buying a

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home or setting up an initial brokerage so that the odds of the monkey business

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happening when it comes time to collect the bananas are low and this is why [Monkeys running around with bananas]

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like bananas cashier's checks have appeal... [Guy holding a banana skin in one hand and a cashier's check in the other]

Find other enlightening terms in Shmoop Finance Genius Bar(f)