> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.budgetbandit.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Pay your card

> Pay your credit card in Budget Bandit: record the payment as a transfer and use the safe-to-pay number to know how much.

A credit-card payment is money moving from one of your accounts to the card. In Budget
Bandit you record it as a **transfer** — two linked sides, one out of checking and one
into the card. You do not assign money to make a payment; you already did that when you
funded the spending.

## How much to pay: the safe-to-pay number

Open the card account and look at its Payment budget. The key figure is **Available to
Pay** — the amount you have set aside from funded spending. This is your safe-to-pay
number: pay this much and you are covering spending you already budgeted for, without
disturbing the rest of your budget.

You will see a few numbers on the card:

* **Balance Owed** — the full balance on the card.
* **Available to Pay** — cash reserved in the Payment category, ready to send.
* **Underfunded** — any balance you have not budgeted for yet.

<Note>
  When Available to Pay is at least as large as Balance Owed, the card is fully funded —
  you can pay it off in full and your budget stays balanced.
</Note>

## Record the payment

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the card account">
    From the Accounts sidebar, open the credit-card account you are paying.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose to make a payment">
    Use the payment button on the card. Budget Bandit pre-fills the amount with what is
    safe to pay — the smaller of your Available to Pay and the full balance.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm the from and to accounts">
    The payment is a transfer: from your checking account, into the card. Adjust the
    amount if you want to pay more or less.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save the transfer">
    Both sides are recorded at once. Your checking balance drops, the card balance rises
    toward zero, and the Payment category is drawn down by what you paid.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  Because a payment is a transfer between two of your own accounts, it is not spending and
  does not need a budget category. It moves money you already have from one place to
  another.
</Tip>

## Paying more than is safe to pay

You can pay more than your Available to Pay — for example, to get a balance down faster.
When you do, the Payment category goes negative, which reads as cash overspending: you
sent out cash you had not reserved for the card. The budget stays honest about it rather
than hiding it. To avoid this, budget for the extra in the Payment category first, then
pay.

## If something looks wrong

If the Payment category is short before you even pay, that is unfunded card spending, not
a payment problem. See [The Payment category is red](/credit-cards/payment-category-is-red).

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Set up a card" icon="credit-card" href="/credit-cards/set-up-a-card">
    Add a card and meet the Payment category.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Payment category is red" icon="circle-exclamation" href="/credit-cards/payment-category-is-red">
    Fix unfunded card spending.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Transfers" icon="arrow-right-arrow-left" href="/transactions/transfers">
    How transfers work between accounts.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Debt payoff" icon="hand-holding-dollar" href="/credit-cards/debt-payoff">
    Pay down a carried balance over time.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>
