What to do if…
a creditor demands an urgent payment to keep your plan active

What to do now

1. Stop the urgency loop and verify the contact.
   End the call or chat if you feel pressured. Contact the creditor using a trusted number from a recent statement, the creditor’s official website, or the back of your card. Do not use a number, payment link, or bank details sent in the urgent message. Ask for the collections or financial difficulties team.

2. Ask for the exact demand in writing.
   Ask them to confirm:

   • the payment plan you are on;
   • what payment they say has been missed;
   • what “cancelled” would mean in practice;
   • the earliest date any change would take effect;
   • the exact amount, if any, needed to keep the arrangement active.

3. If you can safely pay something today, make only an affordable holding payment.
   Say: “I can pay £__ today through your official payment route. Please confirm in writing what this does to the payment plan.”
   Use only the creditor’s normal payment channel or a route you reached yourself from a trusted source.

4. If you cannot pay today, say so clearly and ask for a short hold.
   Say: “I can’t make a same-day payment. I want to keep paying, but the plan needs to be affordable. Please hold action while you review my payment plan.”
   If this is a regulated consumer credit debt, ask whether interest, charges, or collection activity can be paused or reduced while your situation is reviewed.

5. Make a simple paper trail now.
   Write down the date, time, name or department, what they demanded, and what they said would happen today. Save texts, emails, letters, voicemails, screenshots, and any payment receipt.

6. If the pressure feels unfair, make a complaint without arguing on the call.
   Say: “I’m making a formal complaint about pressure to pay today. Please confirm the complaint and next steps in writing.”
   If the business gives a final response you are unhappy with, or does not respond within eight weeks, you can usually ask the Financial Ombudsman Service to look at it if the complaint is within its remit.

7. If you need breathing room, contact a free debt adviser.
   In England and Wales, ask about Breathing Space. If it is right for you, a debt adviser can apply for temporary protection for qualifying debts, usually for up to 60 days, while you get debt advice. You usually still need to keep up ongoing repayments you can afford.
   If you are in Scotland or Northern Ireland, ask a free debt adviser what emergency debt options apply where you live.

8. If you already paid and now suspect a scam, contact your bank immediately.
   Use the number on the back of your card or inside your banking app. Report the payment as suspected fraud and ask what can be stopped, traced, or recovered.
   If you live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, you can report fraud through Report Fraud. If you live in Scotland, report it through Police Scotland on 101.