Why we need an international standard of writing dates

Seeing how my credit card company is American, a payment being due on 12/11 is not a reason to panic. That means that the payment is due on the 11th of December, a date that has not yet occurred.

It does not mean that the payment was due seven days ago on the 12th of November. I do not need to worry about being hit by various late fees and whatnot.

Also, credit card companies are such vultures, especially when it comes to students like myself. Last month I didn't pay my bill in full. I paid about 90%. That day, they increased my credit limit by 30%.