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What Happens to Credit Card Debt When You Die?

6 min read

Last Updated: December 10, 2025

Table of contents

Key Takeaways

Credit card debt becomes your estate’s responsibility after you die.
The surviving spouse or the executor of the estate should contact the credit card issuer as soon as possible after a cardmember has passed away.
Discover® Deceased Account Services Specialists will work with you to close a deceased person’s account.

You can save a lot of time and energy by knowing what happens to credit card debt when you die. This knowledge can help if you’re creating your own estate plan, or an executor of a will, or a surviving spouse. It can even help if you’re one of the heirs of an estate.

Not knowing which creditors you need to notify could get you a call from a debt collector or an extended process of getting a debt discharged. It’s best to avoid that by having a plan for contacting creditors.

Some terms to know

Here are some common terms that may help you understand what happens to credit card debt when someone dies.

Probate: Probate is the common legal term for the handling of a deceased person’s affairs. Probate laws vary from state to state. Contact an attorney or probate court if you have specific questions about the laws in your state.
Estate: Estate refers to the assets and liabilities left by someone upon their passing.
Executor: An executor is a person appointed by a will or a court to resolve the financial affairs of the deceased person’s estate.

Let’s review what happens to credit card debt after death and how Discover^® helps you close the deceased person’s Discover Card account.

Credit card debt doesn't go away after you die

Credit card debt doesn’t simply disappear when a person passes away. The deceased person’s estate uses its assets to pay off creditors.

Typically, relatives won’t have to pay off the deceased’s debt to credit card companies. The estate usually covers medical debt, student loans, and other types of unpaid debt.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says there are a few cases in which a surviving spouse or another person may be responsible for paying off outstanding debt:

Joint debts, or when the surviving person was a joint account owner with the deceased person.
Debt on a cosigned credit card or loan.
If the surviving person lives in one of nine community property states: California, Arizona, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington, or Wisconsin. If you signed a special agreement in Alaska, you may also be subject to community property laws.
Your state has laws that require payment of a debt to creditors.

Canceling a credit card after the cardholder’s death

Here are two tasks to complete when a credit cardmember has died.

Stop all use of the credit card(s). Credit cards are no longer valid when the sole primary cardmember has passed away. No one should use the card—even the executor of the estate. That includes purchases that seem legitimate, like paying for funeral costs. If you’re an authorized user on the account, your credit cards are no longer active. You should shred or cut up the card and throw it away.
Notify the credit card issuer of the death. If the primary cardmember has died, their surviving spouse or the executor of the estate should notify the credit card company as soon as possible to close the account. This can help prevent unintentional use of the card.

Did you know?

It’s easy to forget to contact a credit card company to cancel someone’s card after they pass away. But failing to do so could cause a number of problems, including leaving the deceased’s account susceptible to identity theft.

How to notify Discover when a cardmember has died

Our Deceased Account Services Specialists will work with you to finalize the account. You can reach them directly at 1-800-347-5519.

These specialists handle the process of closing an account upon notification that one of our valued customers has passed away. We’re committed to managing the process with the utmost sensitivity and care and are here to assist you with your questions and needs.

We understand this may be a difficult time for you. We want you to know that our priority is to assist you in any way we can.

Do you need to send Discover a death certificate?

No. Upon notification, Discover will verify the information.

If the cardmember had a death benefit, the life insurance claim processor may require the death certificate to process the claim.

What should you do with the deceased’s credit card?

The card is no longer active. Shred or cut up the card and properly dispose of it.

How do you stop new credit card charges?

Upon notification, the card is no longer active. This prevents most new credit card charges. If there were previous recurring charges, contact the merchant to stop them. You can find the merchant’s contact information on an itemized credit card statement.

Otherwise, you can dispute any charges on the account once they’ve posted on the Account Center. You can also call one of our customer service agents.

If you have a joint credit card account

If you’re jointly responsible for the account, your credit card is still active. Your name will be the new primary name on the account. You should still inform Discover that a joint account holder has passed away.

As the administrator or executor of the estate, how do you make a payment on a Discover account?

If you’re the administrator or executor of the estate, you can make a payment to Discover by:

Calling a Deceased Account Services representative at 1-800-347-5519
Sending the payment stub included with the statement in the enclosed envelope

Please remember to include the account number. We seek payment only from the assets in the deceased cardmember’s estate. You’re not required to use individual or jointly owned assets to pay this debt.

The bottom line

Contacting a credit card company is probably the last thing on your mind when a loved one passes away. But getting in touch with creditors sooner rather than later can save you time and energy in the long run.

Most of the time, the deceased person’s estate is responsible for any unpaid debt. There may be an exception if you have joint debt or in a few other cases. Get in touch with Discover and any other creditors to make sure you have the deceased’s credit card cancelled and accounts closed.

If your situation is more complicated, consider contacting an attorney or finding a credit counseling agency near you.

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