If you have accumulated a huge credit card debt and finding it extremely difficult to repay it, the best step you can take is to get the assistance of debt management experts. When you stop paying your credit card bill, you will be charged a late fee, you will lose your grace period, and you will also have to pay interest at a penalty rate.
With credit card debt, your credit score will also take a dip if you have delayed your payment for 30 or more days. When you choose to not pay it at a later date, your issuer may also close your account. However, you are still required to pay your credit card debt in full along with interest.
If you don’t pay your credit card debt for a long enough time, your credit card issuer will eventually sue you for not making repayments or sell your debt to a debt collection agency which could then sue you.
Fortunately, it is not all or nothing scenario with credit card payments. This could be a different story if you pay the minimum amount required monthly. While it is highly recommended to pay your credit card bill in full, you must focus on paying at least the required minimum amount if you can’t pay in full.
If you always pay the required minimum amount by the due date, your account will always remain in good standing and you won’t face any penalties and late fees. However, you must realize that paying the minimum amount only every time means you will have to pay interest on the remaining balance at your credit card’s regular interest rate. This amount accumulated by interest can be very substantial when summed up after a few years.
Here is what happens when you have credit card debt and don’t pay it:
- When You Pay Only The Minimum Amount Instead Of The Full Balance Due:
The unpaid amount will bear interest at your card’s regular APR. You might lose your grace period, which means new purchases will also accrue interest right away.
- When You Don’t Pay Your Credit Card Bills At All:
In this case, your account will be reported as past due date to the credit bureaus once you miss two due dates. Once this happens, your credit score will take a dip instantly. Plus, a late fee will be added to your credit card balance. Plus, your issuer might apply a penalty APR on new purchases but only after giving a notice 45 days in advance.
- If You Are 60 Days Behind On Your Minimum Payments:
Your credit card issuer can penalize you by charging a penalty APR to your entire existing balance.
- If You Are 6 Months Behind On Your Minimum Payments:
The credit card issuer will consider it a loss for taxes and will have to charge off your debt. In this scenario, they may sell your debt to a collections agency or they might choose to sue you.
- If You Don’t Make Credit Payments For 3 To 15 Years:
In this scenario, you will be charged with a lawsuit, depending on which state you live in.
Hence, managing your credit card debt is extremely important. In case you don’t know how to get started or don’t see any impact after trying different tips you find online, don’t hesitate to seek the advice of debt management experts.
