Someone transferring 5,000 this time last year will have faced

[cubezero3]

I saw the following sentence this morning:

For example, someone transferring £5,000 this time last year will have typically faced £94.50 in fees on average. Today it will cost them £114.

Banks tighten up balance transfer credit card offers

A string of big banks slashed the maximum terms on their balance transfer credit cards by several months last week.

www.thisismoney.co.uk

Can the future perfect tense be used to refer to an event in the past?

 

[Tarheel]

That sentence makes perfect sense to me. What do you not understand about it?

 

[cubezero3]

Hi, Tarheel. I thought the future perfect tense was reserved for future events only. Your reply made me realise perhaps there is more to know about the tense.

 

[5jj]

It is not the future perfect tense. It is the use of will to indicate certainty.

 

[Tarheel]

I agree with @5jj and I would have said the same thing if I had thought of it.

(The "like" button is not working for me.)

 

[cubezero3]

it is not the future perfect tense. ut is the use if will to indicate certainty/

Hi, 5jj.
I can understand that this structure is used to indicate certainty.
The reason I was confused was that to me it was clearly a certainty regarding a past event. I've seen this being expressed in the following ways, depending on the level of certainty:

someone transferring £5,000 this time last year would face £94.50 in fees on average
someone transferring £5,000 this time last year would have to face £94.50 in fees on average
someone transferring £5,000 this time last year would have faced £94.50 in fees on average

When I see the structure in question, that is will have faced, the only thing I can think of is that this is an example of a future perfect tense.
If this sentence appears in The Times, I would immediately assume this is a usage of the structure I was not previously aware of.
The thing is I actually saw it on the Daily Mail App. It seems the editors there come up with hasty decisions from time to time.

 

[Rover_KE]

(The "like" button is not working for me.)

Yes, it is, but it only showed up when you refreshed the page. Look back at post #4.

 

[Tarheel]

I agree with @5jj and I would have said the same thing if I had thought of it.

(The "like" button is not working for me.)

Yes, it is, but it only showed up when you refreshed the page. Look back at post #4.

When I press "like" that notice shows up -- seemingly at random. When I press "post reply" my instructions are followed, but I see notice telling me they haven't been. (That's confusing.)

 

[5jj]

When I see the structure in question, that is will have faced, the only thing I can think of is that this is an example of a future perfect tense.

You need to think again.

364 days today! By the end of tomorrow I will have gone a whole year without a cigarette. (future perfect)
Mary's plane took off an hour ago. It will be over Paris about now. (present certainty about present situation)
Mary's plane took off three hours ago. ago. It will have landed half an hour ago. (present certainty about past situation)

If this sentence appeared in The Times, I would immediately assume this was a usage of the structure I was not previously aware of.

Right.

The thing is I actually saw it on the Daily Mail App. It seems the editors there come up with hasty decisions from time to time.

Daily Mail writers may use more informal language than Times writers do, but they are unlikely to make 'more hasty' decisions about grammar.

 

[emsr2d2]

(The "like" button is not working for me.)

It is working!!! The glitch makes it look as if it's not but if you look at the bottom of 5jj's post, you will clearly see your "Like".