Have you missed a payment? Have you gone over your limit? If so, you probably know what the consequence is. If you haven't, hopefully you never will find this out. The penalty is a hike in interest rate charges, up to – and probably higher now – as high as 32%. This is modern piracy. This is kicking someone when they are down. You needconsumer debt relief Credit card companies force more people into bankruptcy by this kind of "business practice". If you are able, transfer those evil rates to a different lender. Don't give any more than you are liable for to any credit card company.