Missing payments can be more costly than you think.  Skipping a payment on your credit card will add late fees and penalties to your account, but there are longer term consequences to consider before you decide to skip writing that check or hitting "pay" on the website.

Credit card data is reported to one or more of the credit bureaus and then remains on your credit report for 7 years.  When you miss a payment on your account, that is almost always reported to at least one credit bureau.  Of course, the credit card company will not forget to charge you a fee as well.  These fees have risen through the years and will make it more difficult to get on top of your credit card payments.

Though the short term struggle of paying credit card bills can seem daunting enough, the long term affects can be costly and burdensome.  Having the late payment on your credit report will lower your credit score, lowering your chances of a good rate on future date and maybe even keeping you from being approved for such debt as a mortgage or car loan.

If you've only missed the one payment with your credit card company, it would be a great idea to ask for forgiveness.  If you have shown a good history of paying your bill, they may be willing to let this time slide, forgoing the penalty and not reporting it to the credit bureau.  This will help you avoid both the short-term and the long-term consequences of missing your credit card payment.

Do what you can to stay current on all your credit card bills, systematically paying off that debt.  If you need more help with this, talk to an accredited credit counselor.