You pay your credit card online. In the process, you enter the day the payment is to be made. Used to be that the payment would be credited either that day, or the day after. Two days at the most.

Now, however, the credit card companies have figured out a new way to make you late on your payment, with a punitive late payment due and your annual interest rate jacked up and your credit further negatively affected.

You're used to a two-day turnaround time. Now they've made it a 4 or 5 day gap. If you're still expecting two days or less, you're in for a rude awakening.

Why does it take 4 to 5 days for an electronic payment to go from your computer to the credit card company to the bank and then be reflected back--all at the speed of electrons?

Beats the heck out of me. I suspect chicanery. Another way to jack the consumer who isn't hypervigilant.