What Happens If I Don't Pay My DirecTV Bill?

I missed my payment, and now I’m wondering what happens if I don’t pay my DirecTV bill. We’ll help you sort things out!

If you’re nervous and don’t know what to do since you’re going to miss your DirecTV bill, don’t panic.

We’ll help you fully understand the process and the options that you have at your disposal to keep your DirecTV subscription active.

Did you forget to pay your DirecTV bill? Don’t worry! We got you!

If you miss a payment, DirecTV will send you a couple of reminder emails first. If you still can’t pay, your service will be disconnected. To prevent this, request a service interruption extension and make a promise to pay your bill.

Before we discuss what happens when you don’t pay your DirecTV bill online and what you can do about it, let us enumerate some important considerations.

What to Consider If I Can’t Pay DirecTV Bill

If you can’t make payment by the deadline or you already missed payment, you can expect several things. Fortunately, there are a few solutions you can apply.

First, let us discuss what happens if you can’t or don’t pay.

✅ 1. Service Interruption

Non-payment by the due date authorizes DirecTV to suspend your service until your balance is paid. You will be scheduled for disconnection and need to pay a reconnection fee to restore service.

✅ 2. Payment Extension Options

If you can’t pay before the deadline, you can make payment arrangements to avoid service interruption. You can either make a Promise to Pay or request a service interruption extension.

✅ 3. Late Payment Fees

Late fees apply if you pay your DirecTV bill after the due date. You will also be charged a convenience fee if you contact DirecTV to schedule a payment arrangement.

✅ 4. Affect your Credit Score

DirecTV collections can hurt your credit score. The non-payment incident will remain on your credit report for up to seven years.

What Happens If I Don’t Pay My DirecTV Bill

If you don’t pay, you can expect a DirecTV service interruption for non-payment.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with it, as most services use this model to keep their subscribers continually paying their monthly bills.

Of course, not everyone will be in a great place financially, so there will be times when it gets hard.

The good news is that DirecTV offers a lot of options if you’re going to miss bill payments.

They’re not going to cancel your service right away. They have options that you can choose from to save your subscription from getting terminated.

Scenario #1: DirecTV Will Send You Couple of Reminder Emails

Before DirecTV interrupts your service for not paying your bill on time, they will send you a couple of reminder emails.

First, they will send you an email once your bill is due to remind you that you need to settle it as soon as possible.

DirecTV will not cut your service right away. Instead, they will give you a few more days to pay your bill.

If you don’t settle it within 5 days, they will send another email warning that they will stop service anytime.

Here’s when you can expect warning emails from DirecTV regarding your bill:

DirecTV can send you bill reminders through your email.
DirecTV can also send bill reminders through SMS via your phone number.
Check the Messages on your DirecTV box for bill reminder emails.
Go to DirecTV.com to access your online bill.

Pro Tip: You can check your online account to see your current balance and the payment due date.

Scenario #2: DirecTV Will Disconnect Your Service

If you ignore the warning emails, DirecTV will have no choice but to disconnect your service. Don’t worry, as this is totally normal and within their terms and conditions.

The thing you need to know is that you can still get your service restored after they disconnect you.

There’s no reason to panic since you can still restore your service even if you don’t pay your DirecTV bill.

Here’s when DirecTV will disconnect your service:

DirecTV won’t disconnect your service on your due date.
DirecTV has a 15-day grace period to allow you to pay within that period.
Your subscription will be canceled on the 16th day after your due date.

Note: You can still restart your subscription if this happens to you by simply logging into your DirecTV account and selecting Restart Subscription.

Scenario #3: Make a Promise to Pay with DirecTV

Whenever you can’t pay your latest bill with DirecTV, you can still restore it without paying.

DirecTV has a service where you can make a promise to pay your bill. The good news is you can do this on your DirecTV online account.

The best way to request this is to apply for it before your DirecTV bill is due.

Doing this will prevent any service interruptions on your end, so you continue to watch your favorite channels.

Here are the steps on how you can make a promise to pay with DirecTV:

Log in to your DirecTV.com account.
Find the Need more time to pay option under My Account.
Select your expected payment date.
Choose your payment amount and method.
Select Submit.

Note: You’ll need to wait if DirecTV’s billing team approves your Promise to Pay request.

Scenario #4: Request for a Service Interruption Extension

Another option that you have whenever there’s a looming deadline with your DirecTV bill is to request a service extension.

This will give you an additional 5 days so you can settle your bill without experiencing a service disconnection.

It’s one of the many tools you can use to give yourself a few additional days to settle your DirecTV bill.

Here’s how to apply for a service interruption extension:

Go to your DirecTV.com account and log in.
Choose Need more time to pay in the My Account section.
Select the Request a Service Interruption Extension option.
Choose your expected payment date.
Click Submit.

Note: If you don’t see the Request a Service Interruption Extension window, it means that you’re not eligible for this service.

Scenario #5: Expect to Pay Potential Fees

If you’re behind on just about any bill, you can expect to pay some form of fee.

For DirecTV, this comes in the form of a late payment fee and a financial charge. It’s not a lot, but it can surely add up if you allow yourself to pay monthly charges.

Here’s how much you can expect to pay with DirecTV’s late fees:

Late Payment Fee: up to $6.25
Phone Payment Fee: up to $5 per payment
Restoration Fee: up to $20
Vacation Hold Fee: up to $7.

Scenario #6: Send Your Account to a Collections Agency

Finally, if you still refuse to settle your DirecTV bill, they will have no choice but send your account to a collections agency.

Now, they won’t do this after a few days until your bill is due. It can take several months of non-payment before they decide to use a collections agency to ask you to pay.

There will be repercussions whenever this happens, and you’ll be the one that will face it.

Here’s what happens when DirecTV sends your account to a collections agency:

DirecTV can send your account to collections after 90 to 120 days.
Your credit score will suffer if your account reaches a collections agency.
Work to get DirecTV out of your credit report.
Collections agencies may spam call you, and even harass you.

Note: It’s best not to let it reach this point as there will be a lot of factors beyond your control, especially regarding your credit score.

These are the things that are going to happen if you don’t pay your DirecTV bill on time.

You can also ask them to make a partial payment if you cannot pay the full amount. They will have no problem with that if you tell their customer service agents immediately.

Bottom Line

What happens if I don’t pay my DirecTV bill? Now that you know what you can expect, you can choose a scenario that works with your financial situation.

DirecTV offers grace periods and ways to extend your service without paying so you can enjoy watching your favorite channels.

Read Next: How To Tell If DirecTV SWM Is Bad?

Kevin Wood

Kevin has over five years of experience working in various Tech startups and providing Technical solutions. He has contributed to many Tech publications and websites.