Credit cards make it easy to spend money, but when the bill arrives it’s sometimes a shock to see the total owed. Even more shocking is unwittingly paying for something you didn’t buy. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do proactively to avoid surprises.

First, as soon as the bill arrives, make sure that it is yours. Mail is sometimes improperly delivered.

Next, check each line item: did you buy these things and are the charges correct? This will be easier to determine if you’ve kept all your receipts. Put them together in one place and compare them to the bill. Notify the credit card company right away if you think you are being billed for something that you did not charge. Use the procedures from the Federal Trade Commission for disputing a charge.

Did you buy anything that you don’t need? You might be able to save a little money by cutting out duplicate items. Maybe you have Hulu and Netflix, but don’t use them both. Consider cancelling recurring charges that you do not need.

Finally, schedule payment of the bill shortly before its due date. Paying in full is preferable because it will keep finance (interest) charges to a minimum.

For example, if you have a 13.99 percent APR (annual percentage rate) and you have a balance of $500 you would be charged $8.74 in interest for a total balance of $508.74 for that billing period. If you make a $50 payment per month it would then take you approximately 11 months to pay off your credit card, with no further charges.

Valrie Chambers, Ph.D., professor of accounting, and Betty Thorne, professor of statistics and the Christian R. Lindback Chair of Business Administration, write Financial Fridays to bolster students’ financial wellness including preventing financial mistakes, safeguarding their assets and identity, and thinking critically about financial decisions.