WalletHub, Financial Company
@WalletHub
If you don’t pay your credit card bill at all, you will likely get charged a late fee, lose your grace period, and have to pay interest at a penalty rate. Your credit score will also go down if you fall at least 30 days behind on a credit card bill payment. If you continue to not pay, your issuer may close your account, though you’ll still be responsible for the bill.
If you don’t pay your credit card bill for a long enough time, your issuer could eventually sue you for repayment or sell your debt to a collections agency (which could then sue you). But it’s not all or nothing with credit card payments. It’s an entirely different story if you simply pay the minimum amount required.
If you always pay at least the minimum required by your due date, your account will remain in good standing and you won’t have to face late fees, penalty rates or credit score damage. You’ll just have to pay interest on the remaining balance at your card’s regular rate.
Here’s what happens if you don’t pay your credit card:
- If you pay the minimum required but not the full balance due: Your total unpaid balance will accrue interest at your card’s normal APR. You’ll also lose your grace period, so new purchases will accrue interest right away, too.
- If you don’t pay at all: Your account will be reported as past-due to the credit bureaus after two missed due dates. That will hurt your credit score. In addition, a late fee of up to $38 may be tacked onto your balance (but it can’t exceed your minimum payment). Your issuer may also apply a penalty APR to new purchases, though they must inform you 45 days in advance.
- If you get 60 days behind on minimum payments: The issuer can apply a penalty APR to your entire existing balance.
- If you get 180 days behind on minimum payments: The credit card company will have to charge off your debt (consider it a loss for taxes). But that doesn’t mean they’ll stop trying to get you to pay. They may sell your debt to a collections agency, or they may choose to sue you.
- If you don’t pay for 3-15 years: You are vulnerable to a lawsuit, depending on which state you live in. Time-barred debt is not a valid defense until your state’s statute of limitations runs out. If you lose a lawsuit and are ordered to pay, you might have your wages or bank account garnished.
So the bottom line is that you should always try to make at least the minimum payment on your credit card. Sure, you’ll still owe interest, but you won’t have to deal with the other negative consequences of not paying your credit card at all.
If you’ve fallen behind, the most important thing to do is catch up on your missed minimum payments and bring your account back to current status. After that, your goal should be to pay your full balance due for two months straight. Though that’s easier said than done, doing so will restore your grace period and stop the buildup of new interest.

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@WalletHub
We don't recommend that you stop paying your credit cards, but if you decide to do that anyway, here's what will happen:
- In the first two months after you've stopped paying, you'll have two late payments, one of which is at least 30 days late. The credit card company will probably report this delinquency, but it won't hurt your score too much... yet.
- In the third month after you've stopped paying, you'll be behind on three payments. At this point your credit score will be damaged pretty bad.
- In the fourth month and up until the 179th day, the credit card company will turn your account over to collections, which means that debt collectors will start coming after you in order to recover the debt you owe. Your credit score keeps getting worse and worse.
- When your account becomes 180 days delinquent, the credit card company is legally required to declare your account as being charged-off. A charge-off is one of the most damaging things for your credit score, alongside bankruptcies and foreclosures.
So as you can see, not paying your bills is extremely bad for you. If you can't handle your payments anymore, it's best to just stop using the card, focus on paying off your existing debt and then close the account.

Daniel Watt
@danielw_207
Call the credit card companies and tell them you situation and work out a plan. There is always a solution and they will try to work with you.
Miguel Vererta, Member
@miguel_vererta
It depends on how long you're willing to do this "experiment". If you don't pay up by the end of the grace period, you'll have interest tacked on. If you let it simmer for 30 days, you'll get a negative mark on your credit report as well as penalty fees. Further down the line, the fees grow larger to the point the lender sells your debt to a collection agency, and you start getting phone calls from them. It's not pretty, trust me.
People also ask
Suzanna Baker, Member
@suzanna_baker
If you severely fall behind with your payments, your score will go down the drain, and the card issuer will sell your debt to a collection agency. They'll try and collect it from you in person for a while, then they'll just sue you.
While there are some cards that have a repossession clause, this one isn't it.
onetray, Member
@onetray
First, it'll just affect your credit score + no grace period for a while. After these, it's collection agencies and getting sued.
Sue Annes, Member
@sue_annes
If you don't pay your credit card, you'll most likely incur late fees, get charged a higher interest rate, and your credit score will take a hit.
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