Does a negative balance mean I am owed money?

Ugh, negative balance? Does that mean I'm in trouble? Or...wait a minute... Is that even possible?! No, right? A negative balance means they owe me money? Seriously? That's actually kind of amazing.

I remember once, I was so sure I'd messed up my taxes. I'd double- and triple-checked everything, but still, this little voice in my head was yelling "you're going to owe them a fortune!". Then I got my return, and there it was – a negative balance! A big, fat, juicy refund. I almost fainted. I think I literally jumped up and down, whooping with joy. I immediately mentally planned my vacation!

So yeah, a negative balance on a credit card, a minus sign before the number... that's your bank, or whoever, saying "Oops, our bad! We owe you." It's like finding a twenty in your old jeans, only way better, because it's probably way more than twenty bucks. Probably. Hopefully.

Anyway, you should totally contact them to get your money, right? Don't let that refund just sit there! Go treat yourself. You deserve it. After all that worrying, you deserve it. You earned it. What are you waiting for?