Woman Decided To Stop ‘Participating In Capitalism’ By Refusing To Pay Her Bills — But Her Credit Score Went Up
Her credit score going up can't really be explained.
Jupiterimages / Canva Pro The economy is clearly in dire straits right now. Prices continue to rise, wages remain stagnant and all too many people struggle to pay their bills.
One woman's solution was to stop paying her bills altogether and the results were unexpected.
The woman stopped paying her bills and saw her credit score improve.
Laura, known as @thatlaura on TikTok, shared how she chose to stop “participating in capitalism” by no longer paying her bills.
“So, about a year ago, I kind of had a nervous breakdown and stopped participating in capitalism,” she said. “And what I mean by that is I stopped paying my bills and stopped giving a [expletive] about my credit score that I had been working years and years and years to fix because as I paid more and more, they were like, ‘Penalty!’”
“And so I was like, ‘You know what? I don’t even care,’” she continued.
Surprisingly, Laura’s decision to stop paying her bills has actually benefited her credit score.
“My credit score is somehow going up,” she said. “It’s like, ‘We see all the hard work you’ve done at ignoring this, so we’re gonna give you points.’ Because that’s, I think, how it really works.”
The conclusion Laura drew from all of this was a thought-provoking one. “I guess the point is none of this is real. We’re on a big floating rock in the middle of ... the universe, and it’s all made up, and the points don’t matter. You’re doing great,” she encouraged.
It’s unclear why Laura’s credit score improved after missing bill payments.
While credit scores can be finicky and do some strange things in general, it doesn’t really make sense that not paying your bills would be the catalyst for your credit score to increase.
American Express said, “Unless they become very late, everyday utility, cable, or cell phone bills are generally invisible to credit reports — and therefore not counted in your credit score at all.”
Meanwhile, other bills can affect your credit score. According to American Express, “One late payment on a credit card, personal or auto loan or mortgage might have an immediate negative effect, though it would likely be small if it was only a single late payment. Consistent on-time payments for those credit-related bills helps improve your credit score.”
Based on this information, paying bills actually benefits your credit score, at least minimally. Other financial sources like NerdWallet list paying your bills as a way to increase your credit score.
So, why did Laura’s score go up when she stopped paying bills entirely? It's unclear. It’s also unknown if she stopped paying all bills. After all, she was using a phone to make her TikTok videos. Does that mean she still paid her phone bill? And her internet bill?
Although Laura kept an upbeat tone in her first TikTok, a follow-up video showed how worried she really was.
Laura kept things light and humorous in her first video, but a second showed how deep her concerns about her financial situation really ran.
“I’ve been in the workforce for 20 years, and I have nothing to show for it but crippling debt from medical bills and life expenses,” she lamented.
“I never had the possibility to even think about owning a home because of the market we’re in,” she added. “In fact, I couldn’t even afford to rent my own home in a safe place to keep my two children, so they live with their fathers.”
While Laura’s advice may be a bit bewildering, the one clear takeaway is that the economy is largely a game — a confusing, convoluted one. As Laura said, it’s really just numbers that don’t really mean anything, even though it seems like they are the most important thing in the world.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news and human interest topics.