Apple Card: What to Do If You're Falling Behind 2026

• Best option for payment assistance: Open Wallet → Apple Card → More → Account Details → Message, then type “payment assistance plan options.” This is Apple’s own recommended path for connecting with an Apple Card Specialist at Goldman Sachs.
• Apple Card / Goldman Sachs phone: 877-255-5923 Apple’s current payment assistance instructions direct cardholders to the Wallet messaging feature to review assistance options with a specialist, so start there if you can. The phone number works too, especially if you don’t have your iPhone handy or want to make a one- time payment.

Apple Card is going through an issuer transition. Apple and Chase announced in January 2026 that Chase will become the new issuer, with the transition expected to take approximately 24 months.

For now, Apple Card is still issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA. Apple’s current payment assistance instructions still connect cardholders with Apple Card Specialists at Goldman Sachs.

That matters if you’re having trouble paying today: follow Apple’s current Wallet instructions above rather than contacting Chase about your existing Apple Card account.

There’s no single “Apple Card rate.” As of July 1, 2026, Apple listed variable APRs ranging from 17.49% to 27.74%, depending on creditworthiness. Rates can change, so the number in the Wallet app or your Customer Agreement is what actually applies to your balance.

For broader context, the Federal Reserve’s Q2 2026 data put the average interest rate on credit card accounts assessed interest at 22.15%, which puts Apple Card’s range roughly in line with the market.

People fall behind on credit cards for all kinds of reasons. Income drops. Hours get cut. A medical expense appears. Several cards that were manageable individually become unaffordable together. And once you’re carrying a balance at a high APR, interest can make progress much slower than the amount you’re paying might suggest.

If that’s where you are with Apple Card, the good news is Apple and Goldman Sachs have a genuinely well-documented process for helping.

If you’re searching for an Apple Card hardship program, here’s the good news: Apple publishes real detail on this, more than most issuers in this series. If you’re having trouble making monthly payments, experiencing financial hardship, or have been impacted by a natural disaster, you may be eligible for a payment assistance plan.

Apple says these plans may help you to:

Defer or reduce monthly payments Reduce interest charges Prevent your account from going further past due Regain spending privileges on your Apple Card Depending on eligibility, Apple says a payment assistance plan may even allow you to pay off your entire account balance over time with no interest. That’s a genuinely significant benefit and one of the best reasons this particular guide is worth reading closely.

Plan terms and lengths vary based on your eligibility and individual situation, so don’t assume which of these you’ll be offered until you actually talk to a specialist.

One important thing to know going in: enrolling in a payment assistance plan, along with any late payments, missed payments, or defaults, may be reflected on your credit report. Apple and Goldman Sachs are upfront about this rather than burying it, which is worth appreciating even if the news isn’t what you want to hear.

Getting started is straightforward:

1. On your iPhone, open the Wallet app and tap Apple Card.

2. Tap the More button, then tap Account Details.

3. Tap the Message button and type “payment assistance plan options.” 4. Tap Send to connect with an Apple Card Specialist at Goldman Sachs.

If you’d rather not use the Wallet app, call 877-255-5923 to reach a specialist directly.

After you enroll, Apple sends a confirmation email with the program’s details to the email address associated with your Apple Account. To stay enrolled, keep making the payments described during enrollment and in that confirmation email. Setting up automatic payments through the Wallet app can help make sure you don’t slip out of the arrangement by accident.

Before agreeing to anything, it’s still worth asking the specialist directly:

• What will my monthly payment be, and for how long?
• Will my interest rate change?
• Can I keep using the card during the plan?
• Exactly how will this be reported to the credit bureaus?
• What happens if I miss a payment while enrolled?

Apple Card Monthly Installments and Apple Card payment assistance aren’t the same thing, and it’s an easy mix-up if you’re searching for help.

Apple Card Monthly Installments (ACMI) is a 0% APR financing feature for eligible Apple purchases, available when you select it at checkout. It’s a way to pay for a new purchase over time interest-free. It has nothing to do with catching up on an existing balance.

A payment assistance plan, by contrast, is designed for existing Apple Card customers who are having difficulty making payments or experiencing financial hardship.

If you’re already struggling with your Apple Card balance, ask about payment assistance plan options, not Apple Card Monthly Installments.

Around 180 days late, federal banking guidance generally calls for open-end credit card accounts like this one to be charged off.

Charge-off is an accounting action, not debt forgiveness. You can still owe the balance after the account has been charged off. Collection can continue after that point, whether from Goldman Sachs directly or another party collecting the debt. Verify who owns the debt and who is authorized to collect before making a payment or agreement. Either way, a charge- off will show up on your credit report and can significantly hurt your credit score for years.

Apple’s published payment assistance guidance focuses on repayment plans rather than debt settlement, and we couldn’t verify a publicly posted Apple Card settlement program with standardized terms.

If full repayment is no longer realistic; you can ask an Apple Card Specialist whether any settlement options are available for your particular account. Don’t assume that settlement will be offered, when it might become available, or what percentage Goldman Sachs might accept.

A couple of tax basics worth knowing regardless of who you settle with:

Any forgiven debt of $600 or more generally triggers a Form 1099-C from the creditor, which gets reported to the IRS. But that $600 figure is just the reporting threshold, not the taxability threshold. Canceled debt is generally considered taxable income by the IRS regardless of whether you actually receive a 1099-C, so don’t assume a smaller forgiven amount is automatically tax-free.

Get any settlement agreement in writing, specifying the exact amount, the payment terms, and how the account will be reported to the credit bureaus, before you send any money.

Yes. Unpaid credit card debt can ultimately lead to a collection lawsuit. If you receive an actual summons or complaint involving your Apple Card debt, don’t ignore it. Court deadlines matter, and failing to respond 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 worried about making your Apple Card payment, reach out through the Wallet app or call 877-255-5923 rather than waiting for the situation to get worse.

Message an Apple Card Specialist through the Wallet app to ask about payment assistance plans before you miss a payment, if possible.

Credit counseling and a Debt Management Plan can combine your Apple Card balance with other cards into one lower monthly payment. See our guide to credit counseling for how these work. Note that Apple Card’s payment assistance plans are handled directly through Goldman Sachs rather than through a credit counseling agency, so a DMP and a payment assistance plan aren’t the same thing.

Debt consolidation through a personal loan can lower your interest rate if your credit is still strong enough to qualify. See our debt consolidation loans guide.

Debt settlement may make sense once you’re seriously behind and a full payoff isn’t realistic. Our debt relief guide walks through how that process works and what it costs.

Bankruptcy is worth discussing with an attorney if your total debt across all creditors, not just Apple Card, has become unmanageable. See our bankruptcy guide for the basics.

The right option depends on how far behind you are, how much you owe in total, and whether your credit is strong enough to still qualify for consolidation. If you’re not sure which fits your situation, a free consultation with a debt relief specialist can help you sort through it.