Payments

What happens if you miss a payment

Capped fees, not spiralling ones — but a missed payment is still worth avoiding. Here is exactly what happens, in what order, and the one action that solves most of it.

See your schedule Staying in control

Capped

Late fees

Free

To reschedule

Before

Not after the date

Generally not

Reported on splits

The order things happen in4 stages

Reminder before the dateYou can still act

Payment retriedCard declined, first attempt

Capped late fee appliesNot unlimited

New plans blockedUntil it is cleared

The one thing that avoids all of it

Reschedule early

BEFORE THE DUE DATE

Do this first

Rescheduling is free; missing a payment is not

If you already know a payment is coming that you cannot cover, this is the whole answer.

Move the date in the app before it lands. It is built in, it costs nothing, and it does not count as a missed payment.
Or update the card. A declined card is the most common cause of a missed installment and takes seconds to fix.
Do not cancel your card to stop a charge. A failed charge is recorded as a missed payment even when you meant to pause it.
Contact us before, not after. There is far more that can be done ahead of a due date than once a payment has failed.

Check your upcoming dates →

Cost of each routeSame payment

Reschedule early$0

Update the card$0

Miss it onceCapped fee

Leave it unpaidSerious

Bar widths illustrate consequence, not amount. Late fees are capped; an unpaid balance reaching collections is what causes lasting harm.

The sequence

What actually happens, in order

Nothing here happens without you being told first.

A reminder before the date

Every installment is preceded by an email. This is your window to reschedule or update the card.

The charge is attempted

If the card declines, the payment is retried rather than immediately marked as failed.

A capped late fee applies

Fees are limited rather than accumulating. You are told the amount rather than finding it later.

New plans are paused

You cannot open another plan while one is overdue. This is deliberate — it stops a small problem stacking.

We get in touch

To arrange a way forward. Responding early gives more options than ignoring it.

Escalation is the last step

A balance left unpaid can ultimately be passed to collections, which is where real credit damage begins. More on credit →

Perspective

What a missed payment does and does not do

Worth separating the annoying from the serious.

Usually recoverable

A single missed payment, handled quickly.

A capped feeA known amount, not an open-ended one.
A temporary block on new plansCleared as soon as the account is back on track.
Generally no credit file entryShort installment plans are usually not reported to the bureaus. More on credit →
A limit that pausesIt resumes growing once you are paying on time again. How limits work →

Genuinely serious

Where it stops being recoverable.

A balance left unpaidThe one outcome worth real effort to avoid. Collections entries can stay on a credit report for years.
Missed payments on financingLonger plans behave like consumer loans and are more likely to be reported.
Falling behind on other bills to pay usIf plan payments are squeezing rent or utilities, the plan is the problem. Free help →
Opening a plan to cover anotherThe clearest early warning sign there is.

If money is already tight, free non-profit credit counselling exists and costs nothing. It is a better first call than any payment product.

Where to get help

Questions

Late payment FAQ

What people ask when a payment is coming they cannot cover.

What happens if I miss a payment?+

The charge is retried and a late fee may apply, capped at a low amount. You will be contacted, and new plans are blocked until the account is back on track. The important thing is to act quickly rather than wait.

How much is the late fee?+

Late fees are capped at a low amount and shown transparently rather than accumulating without limit. The exact figure applies per missed installment and is set out in your terms.

Can I move a payment date?+

Yes, and this is the single most useful thing to know. Rescheduling before the due date is built in and costs nothing. Doing it after the payment fails is much harder.

Does a missed payment affect my credit score?+

Short installment plans are generally not reported to the credit bureaus, so a single missed payment usually does not appear. An unpaid balance that reaches collections is a different matter and does lasting damage.

What if my card was declined by mistake?+

Update the card in the app and the payment can be retried straight away. A declined card is the most common cause of a missed installment and the easiest to fix.

What if I genuinely cannot pay?+

Contact us through the app before the due date. There is far more that can be done before a payment fails than after it. Free non-profit debt support is also available. Where to get help.