What Happens if You Miss a Credit Card Payment? | LendingTree (2024)

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What Happens if You Miss a Credit Card Payment? | LendingTree (1)

Lauren Nicholson

Lauren Nicholson is a staff writer at LendingTree, where she focuses on personal loans, auto loans and credit cards.

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Jonathan Wu

Jonathan reports on an array of topics, including the financial services industry, healthcare reform, and financial products for consumers. He previously worked in the financial services industry, including at such hedge funds as Avenue Capital Group.

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What Happens if You Miss a Credit Card Payment? | LendingTree (2)

Robin Ratcliff

Robin Ratcliff is a managing editor at LendingTree. An expert on credit cards and rewards programs, she helped found the credit cards reviews section at CreditCards.com before joining LendingTree.

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There are three ways a late or missed payment can impact you financially:

  1. You may have to pay a late payment fee.
  2. The interest rate on your credit card may go up to the penalty rate.
  3. Your credit card issuer might report the late payment to the credit bureaus, which can damage your credit score.

Let’s take a look at the financial consequences of late credit card payments, when they occur and what you need to know.

How late is your payment?Potential consequencesFinancial impact
1 - 30 daysLate payment fee$25 - $40
30 - 60 days

  • Late payment fee

  • Late payment reported to credit bureaus


  • $25 - $40

  • Late payments on credit report will lower your credit score

60+ days

  • Late payment fee

  • Late payment reported to credit bureaus

  • Higher interest rates


  • $25 - $40

  • Late payments on credit report will lower your credit score

  • Higher interest rates mean it will cost more to carry a balance on your card

Find your perfect card in 30 seconds.Check your approval odds so you can shop smarter.

Credit card companies often charge a late fee for a missed credit card payment. Late fees typically range from $25 to $40.

Of the three potential consequences of late payments, the penalty fee will likely have the smallest impact on your finances. It’s a simple, one-time charge.

Will you have to pay a fee? Some credit cards, like the Citi Simplicity® Card, don’t charge a fee for late payments. Check your credit card agreement to see if your card has one.

What Happens if You Miss a Credit Card Payment? | LendingTree (4)
Sample of Late Payment Penalty Fees in Agreement

What can you do about late payment fees?

If this is the first time you’ve missed a payment, consider contacting the credit card company to ask if they will waive the late fee. While there’s no guarantee, card companies can sometimes be flexible about fees, especially if you have a long history of paying your card on time. They might be willing to work with you to remove the charge.

What Happens if You Miss a Credit Card Payment? | LendingTree (5)Learn more about how to use a credit card.

Penalty APR

If you are more than 60 days late on a credit card payment, many cards will switch your credit card APR from the rate you initially agreed upon to the penalty or default APR. This APR will be significantly higher than the regular interest rate you were paying on your card. The penalty APR is typically around 30% or more.

Will you have to pay a penalty APR? Not all credit cards apply a penalty rate, so it’s good practice to read your credit card agreement to understand if you’ll be on the hook for a higher interest rate.

What Happens if You Miss a Credit Card Payment? | LendingTree (6)
Sample of Penalty APR in a Credit Card Agreement

What Happens if You Miss a Credit Card Payment? | LendingTree (7)Learn more about how interest rates and credit cards work.

Recovering your original purchase APR

Making continued payments on time is the only way to get the penalty rate removed. You’ll need to pay six consecutive billing periods on time to have your interest rate reverted back to the original offer.

What Happens if You Miss a Credit Card Payment? | LendingTree (8)Interested in credit cards with low purchase APRs? See our picks for the best low interest credit cards.

What Happens if You Miss a Credit Card Payment? | LendingTree (9)Late payments on your credit history will reduce your credit score.

While the late fee is a one-time payment and the penalty APR will generally only apply to that card alone, late payments of more than 30 days are reported to the credit bureaus and will be reflected on your credit report. 35% of your credit score is based upon your payment history, so late payments on your credit report will reduce your credit score. The more late payments you have and the later they are, the more damage you’ll do to your score.

What Happens if You Miss a Credit Card Payment? | LendingTree (10)Read our study about how a missed payment can affect your credit score.

A lower credit score will impact the likelihood that you will be approved for a credit card, mortgage or loan in the future. It can also determine the interest rate that you pay if you get approved for a card, loan or mortgage. Generally, you’ll have to pay higher interest rates if you have a lower credit score.

What Happens if You Miss a Credit Card Payment? | LendingTree (11)Learn more about how to improve your credit score.

What to do if you miss a credit card payment

  1. Make the minimum payment as soon as possible. The sooner you make your payment, the fewer repercussions you’ll face. If you missed your credit card payment by one day, don’t sweat it. At most, you’ll be responsible for paying a late payment fee.
  2. Review your credit card agreement for late payment fees and penalty interest rates. Some cards don’t charge late fees or penalty APRs. The best way to know if you’ll be responsible for additional fees and higher interest rates is to review your card agreement.
  3. Call your credit card company to ask them to waive your late fee (if there is one). A 2021 LendingTree study showed that this request was granted 88% of the time.
  4. Make a plan to submit future payments on time. Future on-time payments will help you avoid late fees, recover your original interest rate and rebuild your credit score. Consider putting your credit card bill on autopay so that you don’t miss any more payments. If you’re having a hard time making the minimum payment, build a budget to pay off your credit card debt.

Interested in a card that can help build your credit?

See Our Best Credit Cards to Build Credit

Credit card payments are considered late if they’re not received by the due date listed on your credit card statement.

A credit card’s grace period is a period when interest is waived, typically between the end of your credit card’s billing cycle and when your payment is due. At the end of the billing cycle, you’ll receive a statement with how much you owe. You’ll then have the duration of the grace period — a minimum of 21 days — to pay your credit card before your payment is considered late. If you make your payment past the grace period, you will owe interest for the entire period, plus penalty fees if your card has them.

On this page

  • Late payment fees
  • Penalty APR
  • Negative impact to your credit score
  • What to do if you miss a credit card payment
  • FAQs

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What Happens if You Miss a Credit Card Payment? | LendingTree (2024)

FAQs

What Happens if You Miss a Credit Card Payment? | LendingTree? ›

A late payment can drop your credit score by as much as 180 points and may stay on your credit reports for up to seven years. However, lenders typically report late payments to the credit bureaus once you're 30 days past due, meaning your credit score won't be damaged if you pay within those 30 days.

What happens if you miss a minimum payment on a credit card? ›

Unfortunately, a missed credit card payment can come with expensive consequences. The impact of a late payment depends on how late that payment is and the terms of your credit card. You may incur a late payment fee, penalty interest rate and risk damage to your credit score.

Does 1 missed payment affect credit score? ›

Some people assume that missing the odd payment or paying a few days late won't make a difference as long as they manage their debt well most of the time. Unfortunately, this isn't true. Even one or two late or missed payments can affect your credit score.

What happens if I don t have enough money to pay my credit card? ›

If you miss too many payments in a row, your credit card company may take you to court to recover the past-due amount owed on the account. If they obtain a judgment, they may be able to garnish your wages or the money in your bank account — or could even put a lien on your home or other properties.

How many payments can you miss before it affects your credit? ›

Even a single late or missed payment may impact credit reports and credit scores. Late payments generally won't end up on your credit reports for at least 30 days after you miss the payment. Late fees may quickly be applied after the payment due date.

What happens if I am 2 days late on my credit card payment? ›

Late card payments won't show up on your credit report as long as you pay within 30 days of the due date. Your credit card issuer may also offer a one-time late fee waiver and could remove the penalty APR upon request. If not, you could transfer your balance to a new card with a lower interest rate.

How late can I be on a credit card payment? ›

Generally, credit card payments that are more than 30 days overdue could be reported to credit bureaus, where they can appear on your credit report for years and affect your credit scores.

Is it a crime to not pay credit card debt? ›

Failure to pay credit card debt is not a crime in the United States. The US have debunked debt imprisonment in the 1950's which decriminalized the act.

Does Capital One forgive late payments? ›

Late payments can't be removed from a credit report unless they were reported in error. So if a late payment is correctly reported, no one can remove it from a credit report.

Is it okay to have a little credit card debt? ›

Ten percent is the safe zone for keeping your overall DTI below 36%. As your credit card debt ratio gets higher, it becomes tougher and tougher to balance your budget. If you let your ratio get above, it's likely to cause serious stress to your budget.

How to ask for late payment forgiveness? ›

An effective goodwill letter requires the following:
  1. Address the creditor or lender respectfully and thank them for their time.
  2. Clearly explain the situation that led to the late payment with relevant details and/or documentation to support your explanation.
  3. Own up to the mistake without excuses.
Mar 22, 2024

Will 2 late payments ruin my credit? ›

It's all about your overall payment history. One late payment on a credit report isn't likely to tank your credit score. However, you'll see a more significant loss of points if one late payment turns into two, three, or more.

How to fix credit after late payments? ›

8 Steps to Rebuild Your Credit
  1. Review Your Credit Reports. ...
  2. Pay Bills on Time. ...
  3. Lower Your Credit Utilization Ratio. ...
  4. Get Help With Debt. ...
  5. Become an Authorized User. ...
  6. Get a Cosigner. ...
  7. Only Apply for Credit You Need. ...
  8. Consider a Secured Card.
Nov 2, 2023

Does a 7 day late payment affect credit score? ›

When is a payment marked late on credit reports? A payment will typically need to be 30 days late before it's reported to the credit reporting bureaus. An overlooked bill won't hurt your credit as long as you pay before that 30-day mark, although you may have to pay a late fee.

How many times can I pay minimum due on credit card? ›

Can you just keep paying the Minimum Amount Due Every Month? Yes, you can keep your credit card active by paying just the Minimum Amount Due every month. But, you will have to pay high interest charges and also, there will be no interest free credit period.

How many missed payments before a credit card closed? ›

When your credit card account becomes 180 days delinquent the credit card company is required to declare your account as being charged-off. Charging-off on an account causes the biggest blow to your credit score.

What happens if I miss my credit card payment by one day? ›

You will have to pay a late fee if you pay your bill after the due date. The late fee would be charged by the bank in your next credit card bill. In a recent move, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has directed banks to charge late fee only if the payment has been due for more than three days after the due date.

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