What happens if you miss a Clearpay payment in the UK
Clearpay's 15 July 2026 terms, read clause by clause: the purchase block, the £6 fees, the £24 cap, collection, credit-file reports and the complaint route
Miss a Clearpay payment in the UK and, on the firm’s own terms, further purchases stop at once, a £6 late fee applies and, for orders over £24, a further £6 after seven days, capped at the lower of £24 or 25% of the order. Unpaid debt may go to a collection agency or be reported to credit reference agencies.
This desk read Clearpay’s Terms of Service, marked Last Updated 15 July 2026, and its help page on missed payments on 15 September 2026, two months after BNPL came under FCA rules. Our earlier post on whether Clearpay reports to credit reference agencies covers the reporting step.
What happens if you miss a Clearpay payment, in order
The under-£24 rule the same page states twice
The Introduction of the Terms says Clearpay will not charge late fees for orders under £24. The footers of that page and the help page say late fees are capped at £6 for orders under £24. Both were live on 15 September 2026; we report both, unresolved, and have flagged the point for right of reply.
Can you complain, and to whom?
Clause 17 says to contact customer services first and, if unresolved, the customer may refer the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service on 0800 023 4567. We assessed the BNPL complaint route already. The FCA’s consumer page, read the same day, says agreements taken out before 15 July 2026 remain unregulated. The Terms call Clearpay Finance Limited “deemed authorised and regulated” under the temporary permission regime; that is the firm’s statement, not one we checked on the FCA Register.
Pros and cons
Verdict
Questions readers ask
How much is the Clearpay late fee?
The Terms say £6 for each late instalment and, for orders over £24, a further £6 if still unpaid after seven days, capped at the lower of £24 or 25% of the order price. The help page gives the same figures. MoneyNerd’s page, read on 15 September 2026, still quotes a £36 cap; Clearpay’s pages do not.
Does a missed Clearpay payment affect your credit score?
The Terms say Clearpay may make reports to Credit Reference Agencies. The sign-up check is described as a soft check that will not affect your score. Neither the Terms nor the help page read on 15 September 2026 says when a missed instalment is reported.
Can Clearpay send debt collectors?
The Terms say Clearpay may pass unpaid debt to its debt collection agency, and both pages’ footers say the same. No clause in the Terms page read on 15 September 2026 says how long after a missed instalment that happens. The Clearpay Plan Agreement was not read.
If you have missed an instalment, the help page’s advice is to contact the firm on 020 4572 0628. Check any firm’s status on the FCA Register yourself. Fin Watch is a publisher, is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, and nothing here is financial advice.