Affirm: What to Do If You're Falling Behind 2026

• Best option: Log in to your Affirm account, open the specific payment plan you’re struggling with, and contact support from there.
• Affirm Customer Support: 855-423-3729 If you’re struggling to pay, let them know you’re experiencing financial hardship and ask what options may be available for that specific loan.

“Affirm debt” can come from a few different arrangements, so it’s worth knowing what you actually have before you reach out:

Pay in 4, generally splits an eligible purchase into four biweekly payments at 0% APR Pay in 2 and Pay in 30, shorter-term options that split or delay a purchase Monthly payment plans, can run from a few months to several years, and may carry simple interest, generally 0% to 36% APR depending on the offer and your eligibility Affirm Card, a Visa debit card issued by Evolve Bank & Trust or Stride Bank, N.A. It isn’t a traditional revolving credit card. The Affirm Card lets you request to pay over time on eligible purchases or pay in full like a regular debit card. A separate one-time-use virtual card, issued by Cross River Bank, Sutton Bank, or Celtic Bank, may also be used for certain transactions.

Your exact payment schedule, APR, and lending partner for a given purchase are listed in the loan terms tied to that specific plan, viewable in the Affirm app or website under your purchase details. Check that before assuming your situation matches what’s described here generally.

Affirm is a US-based financial technology company headquartered in San Francisco, founded in 2012. Affirm itself isn’t a bank. Loans are issued by one of Affirm’s lending partner banks, including Cross River Bank, Celtic Bank, and others, depending on the loan.

Whichever bank technically issues your loan, Affirm is who you’ll deal with for payments, hardship requests, and account questions.

Affirm’s installment structure can make individual payments feel small and manageable, which makes it easy to open several loans across different stores without realizing how much you’re actually committed to each month. A job loss, a medical bill, or simply a tighter-than-usual month can turn a handful of small payments into a real problem all at once.

That’s not unusual, and it doesn’t mean you did anything wrong. It just means it’s worth knowing exactly what happens if a payment doesn’t go through, and what Affirm actually offers if you’re struggling.

If you miss a payment, Affirm will notify you and attempt to collect it. Unlike most credit cards and many other buy now, pay later services, Affirm says it never charges late fees, on any loan. That means a missed payment by itself doesn’t add a fee to what you owe.

That doesn’t mean there’s no consequence. Interest can continue accruing on interest- bearing loans, your Affirm account may be locked from new purchases until you’re caught up, and a missed payment can eventually be reported to the credit bureaus and, if it goes on long enough, moved to collections. Affirm’s payment due dates generally aren’t something you can change yourself, though scheduling a payment early or setting up autopay can help you avoid missing one in the first place.

If you’re searching for an Affirm hardship program, here’s the honest picture: Affirm doesn’t publish one standardized program with fixed repayment terms that applies to every borrower.

If you’re having trouble making a payment, sign in to your Affirm account, open the specific payment plan you’re struggling with, and contact Affirm support. You can also call 855- 423-3729. Ask what assistance or modified repayment options may be available for that specific loan.

If you know you’re going to have trouble paying, contact Affirm rather than waiting for the balance to become more delinquent. If you’re already behind, it’s still worth asking what assistance may be available.

Before agreeing to anything, ask:

• What will my payment schedule be going forward?
• Will interest continue to accrue?
• Will the arrangement change how the loan is reported?
• Can I continue using Affirm while this account is behind?
• What happens if I miss a payment under the new arrangement?

Save any written confirmation or chat transcript before relying on it.

This is more nuanced than it looks. Affirm currently reports its U.S. buy now, pay later loans and repayment activity, including Pay in 4 and longer-term monthly installments, to Experian and TransUnion.

Here’s the important wrinkle: Affirm has stated that this information is currently visible in your own personal credit file with Experian and TransUnion, but isn’t currently visible to other lenders pulling your credit report, and isn’t currently factored into traditional credit scores like FICO or VantageScore. That’s different from how a traditional credit card late payment works, where other lenders can see it right away.

Credit-reporting practices for BNPL are evolving quickly, and Affirm and the credit bureaus have both said this could change as new scoring models are developed. Don’t assume today’s treatment stays this way indefinitely, and check Affirm’s current credit reporting policy for the most up-to-date information.

Affirm’s own investor materials state that a loan is charged off once the contractual principal becomes 120 days past due. Charge-off is an accounting action, not forgiveness. The balance can still be owed, and collection activity can continue after that point.

Once a loan is charged off, Affirm may place or sell the account with an outside collection agency. If a collector contacts you, verify the collector’s identity, the amount they claim you owe, and that they’re authorized to collect this specific debt before making any payment or agreement. If a third-party debt collector contacts you, federal debt-collection protections may apply, including requirements around validation information.

Even though Affirm doesn’t charge late fees, missing payments can still matter inside the Affirm ecosystem in a different way. Affirm’s own guidance indicates that its approval decisions can take into account a consumer’s prior Affirm payment history, including overdue or delinquent payments, as well as how many payment plans a consumer already has open.

In other words, a missed payment can make it harder to get approved for Affirm financing again in the future, even if it doesn’t immediately show up as a hit to a traditional credit score.

Yes. Unpaid installment or BNPL debt can ultimately lead to a collection lawsuit. That doesn’t mean a missed Affirm payment automatically ends up in court, but if you receive an actual summons or complaint involving an Affirm loan, don’t ignore it. Court response deadlines matter, and failing to answer can result in a default judgment against you, which is much harder to undo than answering the suit on time.

For a full breakdown of how debt lawsuits work, your response deadlines, and what a judgment can mean, see our complete guide to debt lawsuits.

If you’re behind on Affirm, or you can see it coming, here’s how the paths generally stack up:

Contact Affirm’s support team through the app or by phone and explain you’re having trouble paying. Ask what’s available for the specific loan you’re behind on.

If you’re juggling multiple Affirm plans, look at due dates, which balances carry interest, and which accounts are already delinquent, then contact Affirm about the ones you can’t keep up with.

Know exactly what you owe and to whom if a loan has already been charged off or sent to collections, and get everything in writing before paying anything.

Credit counseling and a Debt Management Plan can help if BNPL balances are part of a larger pattern of debt across multiple cards and accounts. See our guide to credit counseling for how these work.

Debt settlement may be worth exploring once a loan is with a collection agency and a full payoff isn’t realistic. Our debt relief guide walks through how that process works.

Bankruptcy may be worth discussing with a qualified attorney if Affirm balances are part of a larger debt problem you can’t realistically repay. How a particular loan is treated can depend on the type of loan and the facts of your case. See our bankruptcy guide for the basics.

The right option depends on how far behind you are, how many separate Affirm loans you’re juggling, and whether any of them have already moved to collections. If you’re not sure which fits your situation, a free consultation with a debt relief specialist can help you sort through it.