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

Best option: Call Target Circle Card Guest Services at 1-800-424-6888, or use the number on the back of your card.

Target Credit Card & Target Mastercard (U.S.): 1-800-424-6888 Target Mastercard (outside the U.S.): 1-612-815-9922 If you’re struggling to pay, tell the representative you’re having financial difficulty and ask what payment assistance, hardship, or payment-plan options may currently be available for your account.

Target Circle Card is a family of payment products, not just one card. This guide applies to the Target Credit Card and Target Mastercard, which are credit accounts issued by TD Bank USA, N.A.

It does not apply to the Target Circle Debit Card, which is issued by Target Corporation and draws money directly from a linked checking account rather than creating a revolving credit-card balance. If you’re dealing with a debit card issue, the guidance here about hardship, charge-off, and settlement doesn’t apply to you the same way.

If you know this card as the Target RedCard, that name has changed. Target renamed the RedCard lineup to the Target Circle Card. If you still have a RedCard, you don’t need to replace it just because the name changed: Target says existing RedCards continue to work and retain the same benefits, with the Target Circle Card branding appearing as cards are updated or replaced.

Whichever name is on your card, the Target Credit Card and Target Mastercard are issued by TD Bank USA, N.A. not by Target directly. TD Bank has been Target’s exclusive credit card partner since 2013, and the two companies extended that partnership through 2030.

That means TD Bank is who you’re dealing with for payments and hardship questions on the credit side of the account.

There’s no single Target Circle Credit Card APR that applies to every account. Your current rate is listed on your monthly statement and in your credit account agreement.

If you don’t have a copy of your agreement, Target lets Target Credit Card and Target Mastercard cardholders request one online or by calling 1-800-424-6888. When you’re deciding whether your current payment strategy is working, use the APR actually applying to your balance, not a rate quoted for another cardholder or found in an old review online.

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.

The Target Circle Card’s 5% discount can make the card attractive for regular Target purchases. But the discount and the cost of carrying debt are two different things. If you’re carrying a balance and paying substantial interest month after month, interest charges can reduce or even outweigh what you’re saving at checkout. If that’s happening to you, focus less on the card’s rewards and more on what the balance is actually costing you.

If you’re searching for a Target credit card hardship program, we couldn’t verify a publicly posted Target Circle Credit Card hardship program with standardized terms, interest rates, eligibility requirements, or program lengths.

That doesn’t mean assistance isn’t available for your account. Call Target Circle Card Guest Services at 1-800-424-6888, or use the number on the back of your card. Tell the representative you’re having trouble making your payment and ask what hardship, payment assistance, or payment plan options are currently available.

Don’t go into the call expecting a particular interest rate reduction, monthly payment, or program length. Ask what’s available for your account today.

Before agreeing to anything, ask:

• What will my monthly payment be?
• How long will the arrangement last?
• Will my interest rate change?
• Are any fees being waived?
• Can I continue using the card?
• Will my credit limit change or the account be closed?
• What happens if I miss a payment while I’m on the arrangement?
• How will the account be reported to the credit bureaus?

Get the terms in writing, or save a copy of the agreement, before relying on them.

Ask Target Circle Card Guest Services what payment arrangements may be available. We couldn’t verify standardized Target Circle Credit Card payment plan terms, so ask what’s available for your specific account, and get the terms in writing before agreeing.

A couple of other paths are worth considering too:

Work with a nonprofit credit counseling agency, which can set up a Debt Management Plan (DMP) that combines your Target Credit Card balance with other cards into one monthly payment. Participating creditors may agree to concessions such as reduced interest or fees, but those concessions aren’t guaranteed. Credit cards included in a DMP are generally closed to new purchases. Confirm that TD Bank has accepted the plan and verify any promised concessions on your statements. (See the FTC’s guidance on choosing a credit counselor for what to look for in a reputable agency.) Negotiate a settlement once your account is significantly behind, which we cover in more detail below.

Whichever path you take, get any agreement in writing before you rely on it, and confirm exactly how it will be reported to the credit bureaus.

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. Depending on what happens to the account, you may hear from TD Bank directly or from another party collecting the debt. Verify who owns the debt and who is authorized to collect before making a payment or agreement. A charge-off can remain on your credit reports for years and can seriously damage your credit.

If you’re seriously behind and full repayment is no longer realistic, debt settlement may be one option to evaluate. We couldn’t verify a publicly posted settlement program for the Target Credit Card, so don’t assume a particular discount will be available or that settlement will be offered at a particular stage. Ask directly when you call.

A few things worth knowing before you go this route:

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 a summons or complaint involving your Target Circle Credit Card debt, don’t ignore it. Missing the response deadline can result in a default judgment, 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 payment, contact Target Circle Card Guest Services as early as you can and ask what assistance may be available. If you’re already behind, it’s still worth asking rather than assuming you’ve missed your opportunity.

Call 1-800-424-6888 and ask what hardship or payment plan options are currently available for your account.

Credit counseling and a Debt Management Plan can combine your Target Credit Card balance with other cards into one lower monthly payment. See our guide to credit counseling for how these work.

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 this 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.