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What You Should Know About Credit Card Hardship Programs

By U.S. News & World Report

More Americans are struggling with their household debts as credit card balances continue to rise, with consumers owing a total of $1.28 trillion as of December 2025. So maybe it’s no surprise that delinquency rates also ticked up.

If you’re one of the millions of Americans struggling to keep up with credit card payments, enrolling in a credit card hardship program could offer some short-term relief.

Here’s how credit card hardship programs work, from who qualifies and how to apply to alternatives if you’re not approved for the program.

[Read: Secured Credit Cards]

What Are Credit Card Hardship Programs?

A credit card hardship program is a payment plan you coordinate directly with your credit card issuer. Typically, when you enroll in a credit card hardship program, you’ll get lower payments, a reduced annual percentage rate or waived fees.

While a credit card hardship program can make your debt more manageable, it’s not debt forgiveness. You’re still expected to pay back your balance, and interest may accrue. Terms are typically time-limited, and you should expect your account to be frozen while you’re enrolled in a credit card hardship program.

“Credit card hardship programs can be very useful to help people who can afford to pay off their credit card debt but are seeing little progress,” says Ashley F. Morgan, a bankruptcy attorney based in Virginia. “Most credit card hardship programs will close the credit card account and lower the interest rate.”

Who Qualifies for a Credit Card Hardship Program?

These programs are reserved for cardholders who face financial setbacks and are examined on a case-by-case basis. But common hardship qualifiers include:

— Job loss

— Income reduction

— Medical expenses

— Natural disaster

— Family changes, such as divorce or caregiving

Not all card issuers offer a hardship program, so it’s important to call your lender and speak to someone directly about your available options. But before you do that, be prepared with documentation that proves your hardship — such as recent pay stubs, an unemployment letter or medical bills.

“Lenders review each application individually, so providing detailed evidence of the legitimacy of your hardship may help you gain approval,” says Leslie H. Tayne, a financial attorney and founder of Tayne Law Group. “Medical bills, accident reports, termination letters and pay stubs are good examples of relevant documents to keep and submit.”

[Read: Balance Transfer Credit Cards]

How to Apply for a Credit Card Hardship Program

Follow these steps to request a hardship program from your credit card issuer:

1. Create a budget so you know your ability to pay.

2. Contact the issuer and ask for the hardship or customer assistance team.

3. Explain your hardship, including the cause and how long you expect it to last.

4. Make a specific request, such as an APR reduction or fixed payment for six months.

5. Negotiate and make sure you understand the options the issuer offers.

6. Provide any requested documents, such as proof of hardship or income and your budget.

7. Get the terms in writing, including the rate, payment amount and duration.

8. Monitor your statements to ensure the account is adjusted as promised.

9. Continue making payments with the modified financial assistance plan.

Terms and Trade-Offs of Credit Card Hardship Programs

Entering into a credit card hardship program shouldn’t be considered business as usual, and you should expect some changes to your account if the issuer offers a break to help you catch up on payments.

It’s likely you’ll have your account frozen or closed during the program, or at least a lowered credit limit. That limits your use of the card while in the program and can affect your credit utilization ratio. Automatic payments may be required.

Typically, you won’t be able to earn or redeem rewards while enrolled. It’s also a good idea to get credit reporting terms in writing to know what to expect on your credit report. “There is a credit hit since the account will be closed, but because you are making payments the account stays in fairly good status,” says Morgan.

[Read: 0% Introductory APR Credit Cards]

Credit Card Hardship Alternatives

If you can’t get approved for a credit card hardship program or need more help than the issuer can offer, there are other options.

— Nonprofit credit counseling: Working directly with a credit counselor may help you negotiate lower APRs and lower payments across multiple credit cards.

— Balance transfer credit card: A balance transfer card can be cost-effective if you’re able to repay your balance within the 0% APR window. Some are as long as 21 months.

— Debt consolidation loans: This type of loan can allow you to pay off balances with a fixed term and payment, and APRs may be lower than your credit card APR.

— Debt settlement or bankruptcy: While an option, these alternatives come with lasting effects and should be considered as a last resort.

More from U.S. News

Pros and Cons of Secured Credit Cards

A Complete List of Ways to Build Credit

4 Ways to Get a Low Interest Rate Credit Card

What You Should Know About Credit Card Hardship Programs originally appeared on usnews.com

Update 04/08/26: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.

A whisper from the rubble led to baby’s rescue after Colombia earthquake

By CNN
(CNN) — When the deadly 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck Colombia on Monday, Brian Osorio Zuluaga ran out of his office in Cali and rushed home on his motorbike.The sight of a collapsed five-story residential building forced him to stop.“It was a large complex, covering an entire block,” Osorio told CNN.The quake was the strongest to hit Colombia in more than a decade and sent residents and neighbors of the building, La Torres del Limonar, fleeing into the street, “some in sleepwear or pajamas; some crying, others in shock,” Osorio said.He approached the rubble and began shouting into the wreckage for survivors, despite warnings about a possible gas leak.He suddenly asked those around him for silence. A faint sound rose out of the debris — barely a whisper.“Yes, I’m here. I’m with a baby,” a man’s voice replied.Osorio described how he and several others began moving debris with their hands to reach the pair. But a large concrete slab blocked their way.“On the first attempt, we couldn’t lift it,” he said. Then, “we all lifted together — one, two, three, up.”The slab was too heavy to toss aside, and Osorio was worried there could be more people trapped underneath. Some volunteers held it aloft as others cleared a path to the baby.“You can see the baby’s little head there — which, at the time, looked sort of purplish because he couldn’t breathe,” Osorio said. “Once we started removing the rubble, the baby began to… breathe, and his color started to come back.”Video of the remarkable rescue filmed by Osorio shows the tiny infant in a dusty bodysuit being carefully pulled out of the wreckage. A man, his arm bloodied, can be seen lying awkwardly on his side, still half-trapped under a concrete plank.Osorio said he was handed the baby, a boy, and gave him to a police officer, who took him to an ambulance. They then turned their attention to freeing the trapped man.In the rubble, Osorio said he saw clothes, shoes, and a stuffed animal covered in dust. He thought about the people who might still be trapped.“All those thoughts go through your mind,” he said.The bravery of everyone who rushed to help was what saved the lives of both man and baby.“Unity is strength, because no one person alone could have lifted that piece of rubble; it was so large and so heavy,” he said.“It’s better to act than to stand still,” Osorio added. “Every bit helps.”Rescue efforts enter third daySearch and rescue operations entered their third day early on Wednesday, as emergency responders raced to find more survivors after the powerful quake struck western Colombia, killing more than 200 people, according to a CNN count based on reports from officials.The quake struck at the heart of the country’s coffee-growing region and catapulted communities into a state of national disaster as world leaders offered aid and assistance.The European Union has mobilized its satellite service Copernicus and is providing funding to help the response, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.In Cali, a woman was pulled from under a mountain of rubble on Tuesday to cheers as firemen carried her out on a stretcher following a complex, multinational rescue operation.And in Pereira, a CNN team on the ground saw rescue workers and volunteers form a human chain to remove debris and help save those trapped from an apartment building.“There’s folks who have jumped in and you can see they’re wearing everything from athleisure wear to shorts, tennis shoes — they’re not prepared for this,” CNN’s senior national correspondent David Culver said from the site. “We have seen scenes like this scattered throughout Pereira. This is one of the hardest-hit areas.”But in the epicenter of Monday’s earthquake, Chocó, an indigenous leader told CNN that help has yet to reach the area, Colombia’s poorest region.Victor Chamapuro, leader of the Wounaan Indigenous Reserve “Buenavista” in Chocó’s Litoral del San Juan, said “all our houses are on the ground.”“Where are we going to sleep now? We have to be alert now, we’re sleeping outside,” he said.Chamapuro called on authorities to send food and medicine, saying one person in the community was injured.The “Buenavista” reserve can only be reached by boat on a five-hour journey from the port of Buenaventura, on Colombia’s Pacific coast.Video sent by Chamapuro from the reserve shows flattened buildings that appear to be built from timber and corrugated iron sheets. Others are still standing but with varying levels of damage.The earthquake is one of the first major challenges for Colombia’s new far-right President Abelardo de la Espriella, who took office only last week and has promised to strike hard at criminal groups and leftist militants in Colombia.De la Espriella on Tuesday announced economic relief measures for those affected by the quake, and financial support for people who have lost their homes to rent temporary housing.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
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