Ever been surprised at your own efficiency? I was this morning when I went to pay my American Express card.

I use the American Express Open for Business card for all of my gas purchases because I get 3% cash back (was 5% until just recently). Anyway, I had set up a reminder to pay my card today, so I logged in to do so. But apparently I already paid the bill, back in June right after I got the statement.

I like this redundancy in my financial dealings. It is always best to pay a bill immediately, if you can, to avoid any potential late fees and/or finance charges. But it is also good to set up a reminder for a few days (if paying online) or up to a week (if paying by mailed check) before your due date, in case you forget or can't pay the bill right away.

The upside to my surprise? I have $200 "more" now – okay, not really, I just spent that $200 in June rather than now. But ultimately, that's probably good, since I didn't have a chance to spend the money on something else in the meantime, and so paying my bill immediately may have saved me money in a very practical way.