It depends on many things: the laws where you live, the amount owed to the credit card company, etc. In the U.S. the following answer applies. They will send you letters demanding payment and call you constantly for the same purpose. If you fail to respond, you will likely be sent a letter via registered mail demanding payment. Then it will probably be handed over to a collection agency (see glossary) If the amount is small, say $1-1,000, the company might call it a charge off or garnish your wages (provided you're employed and they know who your employer is). A charge off (see glossary) does not mean you are off the hook though, they will continue to try to collect on the debt. If it is a large sum that is owed, then you will probably be served a Warrant in Debt by local law enforcement. This is a request for you to appear in court to answer the charge that money is owed. If you fail to show, depend on your wages being garnished or a request that assets are seized to repay the debt. In all cases, your credit score is trashed. This could prevent you from buying a car, a home, or getting any other type of loan for several years. If at all possible, try to repay the debt and work with the creditor to work out a payment plan. This shows a good faith effort on your part to want to pay what you owe which will help you re-establish good credit in the long run.