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Chase Hardship Program: How to Get Help With Your Chase Credit Card
Short answer: yes, Chase helps credit card customers who hit a financial hardship, but it doesn't publish a hardship program, an application, or a dedicated phone line. You call the number on the back of your card, explain what changed, and ask for hardship or payment assistance options. What you may be offered is a lower interest rate, a smaller payment, or waived fees for a set period, usually with the card frozen or closed while you're enrolled.
I run a debt relief company, and Chase accounts come up constantly in my work. Here's how Chase hardship help actually works, what a lower rate is worth, how to ask for it, what to check before you agree, and what to do if a hardship plan won't be enough.
Does Chase Have a Hardship Program?
Not in the way most people picture one. There's no Chase hardship program page, form, or department you can find online. What Chase has is a set of payment assistance options its representatives can offer case by case. Its own disaster assistance page tells credit card customers to call the number on the back of the card so Chase can discuss the options available, and that's the same front door for any hardship, not just disasters.
That's also why so many cardholders never hear about it. The first representative you reach usually handles routine questions, and assistance options rarely come up unless you ask for them by name.
Which Chase Cards This Covers
The same hardship conversation applies whether your card is one of Chase's own, like Sapphire, Freedom, or Slate Edge, or a co-branded card Chase issues for a partner like Amazon, United, Southwest, Disney, or IHG. The brand on the front doesn't change who you call: if Chase issues the card, Chase handles the hardship request. If you have a Chase business card, such as an Ink card, ask whether the same options apply, since business accounts can be handled differently.
What Chase Can Offer
Chase doesn't publish its hardship terms, and what you're offered depends on your account history and what happened. These are the options that come up most often:
- A lower interest rate for a set period. This is usually the most valuable piece, because more of each payment goes to the balance instead of interest.
- A smaller minimum payment. It helps your cash flow, but a lower payment at the same rate stretches the debt out, so ask what the rate will be, not just the payment.
- Waived late fees. Chase may waive fees already charged or stop new ones while you're in the plan.
- A longer repayment plan. For bigger setbacks, Chase may set up a structured plan to pay the balance down over a longer period.
Two things usually come with it. Your card is typically suspended or closed while you're enrolled, so you can't keep charging on it. And none of this reduces what you owe. A hardship plan makes the existing balance cheaper and easier to carry; it doesn't shrink it.
What a Lower Hardship Rate Is Actually Worth
The rate matters more than the payment, and the math shows why. Take an $8,000 balance at 27% APR with a $300 monthly payment. In the first month, $180 of that payment goes to interest and only $120 reaches the balance. If a hardship plan cut the rate to 9%, the same $300 payment would send $240 to the balance.
📊 Same balance, same payment, different rate:
| At 27% APR | At a 9% hardship rate | |
|---|---|---|
| First month's interest | $180 | $60 |
| First month's payment toward the balance | $120 | $240 |
| Balance after 12 months | $6,368 | $4,998 |
| Interest paid over 12 months | $1,968 | $598 |
Illustrative example: an $8,000 balance and a $300 monthly payment for 12 months. Chase sets any hardship rate case by case.
Over a year, the lower rate pays off nearly twice as much of the balance and saves about $1,370 in interest, without you paying a dollar more each month. That's why the first question to ask on the call is what your rate will be, not just what your payment will be.
Who Qualifies for Chase Hardship Help
Chase decides case by case, and there's no published list. The situations that typically get a serious hearing are the ones you'd expect: a job loss or a big drop in income, a medical emergency, a divorce, a death in the family, or a natural disaster. Be ready to explain what happened and, if asked, to back it up with documents like a termination letter or medical bills.
Timing matters as much as the reason. The best moment to call is before you miss a payment or right after the first one. Once an account is several payments behind, your options narrow, and once a card charges off, usually after about six months of missed payments, the hardship conversation is over and the account moves to collections. Here's what happens if you stop paying your credit cards.
How to Ask Chase for Hardship Help
The CFPB's advice for anyone who can't pay a credit card bill is to call the card company right away and be ready to explain why you can't pay, how much you can afford, and when you expect to get back on track. Here's how I'd apply that to a call with Chase:
- Work out your number before you dial. Know what you can actually pay each month and for how long. A specific number gets a specific answer.
- Call the number on the back of your card. Chase's credit card customer service line, 1-800-432-3117, also works. If your card carries an airline, hotel, or retailer's name but Chase issues it, the call still goes to Chase, not the brand on the card.
- Ask for it by name. Say you're dealing with a financial hardship and want to hear your hardship or payment assistance options. If the first person can't help, ask to be transferred.
- Ask the questions that matter before you agree. What will my interest rate be, and for how long? What will my payment be? Will my card be closed or suspended? How will the account be reported to the credit bureaus? What happens if I miss a payment during the plan?
- Get the terms in writing. Ask Chase to confirm the plan by letter or secure message, and keep notes on who you spoke with and when.
- Cover every Chase card you have. If you have more than one Chase account, ask how the plan applies to each one.
What to Say When You Call
You don't need a polished speech. Something like this covers what the representative needs to hear:
"Hi, I'm calling about my account. I've had a financial hardship. I lost my job in September, and I can't make my full payment right now. I can pay $200 a month, and I expect to be back to my normal payment by March. What hardship or payment assistance options do you have for my account?"
Swap in your own reason, number, and date. Then stay on the line until you've heard the rate, the length of the plan, and what happens to the card.
If you're current and just want a lower rate, rather than a hardship plan, that's a different conversation. Here's how to negotiate a lower credit card interest rate.
Does a Chase Hardship Plan Hurt Your Credit?
Enrolling isn't a late payment, but it isn't invisible either. Chase keeps reporting your payment history, so on-time payments in the plan help you and missed ones hurt. Any late payments reported before you enrolled stay on your report.
The bigger hit usually comes from the card closing. A closed card takes its credit limit out of your utilization math, so the same balances can push your score down even while you're paying on time. And if you fall out of the plan, the account can revert to its normal terms, with missed payments reported as usual.
Chase Hardship vs. Chase Pay Over Time
If you're not in a hardship but want a structured way to pay off a big purchase, Chase has a separate tool. Chase Pay Over Time, formerly My Chase Plan, lets you split eligible purchases of $100 or more into equal monthly payments with a fixed monthly fee instead of interest. It's useful for a single large purchase. It isn't a hardship program, and it won't help with a balance you already can't pay.
When a Hardship Plan Isn't Enough
A hardship plan is the right tool when the problem is temporary and your income is coming back. It's the wrong tool when the balance itself is the problem. If you can't see a realistic way to pay the full balance even at a lower rate, a few months of relief only postpones the same decision.
Your next options are a debt management plan through nonprofit credit counseling, which repays the full balance at a reduced rate over several years, and debt settlement, which resolves debt for less than the full balance, typically over 12 to 48 months. Settlement comes with real costs: it damages your credit, it carries fees, forgiven debt can be taxable income, and creditors can still sue while accounts are being negotiated.
📊 How the options compare:
| Option | Your balance | Your card | Credit impact | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase hardship plan | You repay all of it | Usually suspended or closed | On-time payments reported; a closed card can raise utilization | A temporary setback |
| Chase Pay Over Time | You repay all of it | Stays open | Normal card reporting | One large purchase, not a hardship |
| Debt management plan | You repay all of it, usually over 3 to 5 years | Usually closed | Closed cards can raise utilization; on-time payments help | Steady income and several cards |
| Debt settlement | Resolved for less than the full balance, typically over 12 to 48 months | Closed | Significant damage from missed payments and settled accounts | Balances you can't realistically repay |
If Your Chase Account Is Already Charged Off
A charge-off doesn't mean the debt is gone. It means Chase has written the account off on its books, usually after about six months of missed payments. You still owe the balance, and the hardship options above no longer apply.
From there, the account may stay with Chase's recovery team, go to a collection agency, be sold to a debt buyer, or end up with a law firm that can file a lawsuit. The charge-off stays on your credit report for seven years from when you first fell behind, whether or not you pay it.
Your options at that point are paying in full, setting up a payment arrangement with whoever holds the account, or negotiating a settlement for less than the full balance. If you're served with a lawsuit, respond by the deadline; ignoring it is how a default judgment happens. And before you pay anything on a very old account, check the statute of limitations in your state, because in some states a payment can restart the clock.
The Bottom Line
Chase will usually work with you, but only if you ask, and the earlier you ask, the more room you have. Call before you fall far behind, go in with a number you can actually pay, and get the terms in writing. If the balance itself is the problem, a hardship plan only buys time, so look at the bigger options before you spend months on a plan that won't get you there.
If you also have cards with other banks, our guide to hardship programs by issuer covers what Chase, Amex, Citi, Capital One, and the rest typically offer, and our overview of credit card hardship programs explains how these plans work in general. When you're ready to weigh the bigger options, see how our debt relief program works before you decide anything.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Chase have a hardship program for credit cards?
Yes, but it isn't published. Chase offers payment assistance case by case: call the number on the back of your card, explain your hardship, and ask for hardship or payment assistance options.
What is the Chase hardship phone number?
There's no separate hardship line. Call the number on the back of your card or Chase's credit card customer service line at 1-800-432-3117, and ask for hardship or payment assistance options.
Does the Chase hardship program hurt your credit score?
Enrolling isn't reported as a late payment, but your card is usually closed or suspended, which can raise your credit utilization and lower your score. Chase keeps reporting your payment history, so missed payments during the plan still hurt.
Will Chase close my credit card if I enroll in a hardship plan?
Usually it will close or suspend the card while you're enrolled. Ask before you agree, so you know what happens to the account and its credit limit.
Can Chase waive late fees during a financial hardship?
It can. Fee waivers are one of the accommodations Chase may offer, along with a lower rate or a smaller payment, but nothing is automatic. Ask specifically about fees already charged and fees going forward.
Can I apply for the Chase hardship program online?
Chase doesn't have an online hardship application. You can start the conversation with a secure message in your Chase account, but hardship arrangements are usually worked out over the phone.
Does the Chase hardship program work for Sapphire, Freedom, and co-branded cards?
Yes. The same hardship conversation applies to Chase's own cards, like Sapphire, Freedom, and Slate Edge, and to co-branded cards Chase issues, like the Amazon, United, Southwest, Disney, and IHG cards. Call the number on the back of the card.
What happens if my Chase credit card is already charged off?
Hardship programs no longer apply once an account charges off, usually after about six months of missed payments. You still owe the debt. The account may be handled by Chase's recovery team, a collection agency, or a debt buyer, and your options are paying it, setting up a payment arrangement, or negotiating a settlement.