Things you might find helpful to know if you’ve had a payment break:
Unfortunately COVID-19 payment breaks and payment break extensions are no longer available.
But there are other ways we can offer you support with your credit card payments today. Please go to our financial difficulty page to find out more.
COVID-19 payment breaks weren’t reported as missed payments to the credit reference agencies. But bear in mind, lenders may look at other information – such as bank statements – when assessing credit applications.
Unless you’re on a 0% introductory period, during your break interest will have been charged on your credit card account balance as normal. This means your overall balance will increase and your minimum payment could be higher when your break ends - meaning it could take you longer to pay off your balance.
Here are some examples of how a COVID-19 payment break and payment break extension might have impacted your credit card statements.
Credit card payment break |
Example 1: Outstanding balance £1,800 at 19.9% per annum |
Example 2: Outstanding balance of £1,800 at 26.9% per annum |
---|---|---|
Minimum payment before COVID-19 payment break |
£45.43 |
£54.09 |
Minimum payment after COVID-19 payment break |
£46.70 |
£57.30 |
Minimum payment after payment break extension |
£49.03 |
£60.65 |
The examples above are used for illustrative purposes only. Your minimum repayment amounts will depend on your individual circumstances and the minimum repayment terms for the specific credit card you hold.
The examples assume you have no additional spending on your credit card during the payment break and that the total outstanding balance is interest bearing throughout (this means the rate of interest being charged is greater than 0%).
You won’t have been charged Late Payment, Over Limit or Returned Item fees during a COVID-19 payment break.
A payment break won’t have changed the terms of any 0% interest offer you currently have.