Discover card user's credit score drops after $45 in Audible charges on an unused card

If the subscription is still active, another saved card could be charged next.

What a Reddit user assumed was an inactive credit card turned into a serious credit problem after a few small Audible charges grew into a charge-off that hurt their score.

The subscription started as just $45 in recurring charges, but late fees and penalties eventually pushed the total to $270. Discover charged off the account before the cardholder realized what had happened.

Here's what to know

The balance kept rising because Discover alerts were still going to an outdated email address. In the Reddit post, the user said three Audible charges landed on an old Discover card for a total of $45, even though they believed the subscription had been canceled, and the account was later charged off after fees accumulated.

The cardholder had paid down roughly $1,000 on that Discover card and then largely set it aside instead of closing it. Only after noticing a drop in their credit score did they uncover the problem, pay the $270, and learn the account had already been closed.

They were candid about the mistake, writing: "I realize this is entirely my fault and that I should have caught it at several different points over the last few years, but here I am."

Most replies said there is little to do once a charge-off has already been reported. One response put it bluntly: "continue pay your bills and obligations on time" and "wait."

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More background

A common point in the comments was that neglected accounts, even with relatively small balances, can still cause real trouble. One person urged readers to keep contact information updated for every financial account, including "banks, credit cards, old workplace retirement plans, etc."

Another commenter said a monthly budgeting review is a good time to look for fraud or surprise charges, the kind of check that might have caught the missed Discover emails sooner.

There was also a warning not to assume the subscription issue is over just because this card is closed. One commenter advised the poster to check Amazon and review Audible's membership page, noting that if the subscription is still active, another saved card could be charged next.

What can be done?

One commenter said many credit card apps now organize subscription payments in one place and pointed to Discover's "Recurring Charges Dashboard" as a way to review them before setting a card aside.

Autopay came up repeatedly as a useful safeguard. "Cards should be on autopay, every month, full statement," one commenter said, arguing that unused cards are less risky when an unexpected charge is paid automatically instead of snowballing into fees and credit damage.

Commenters said the larger lesson is not to treat inactive accounts as harmless. They recommended keeping contact details current, checking communication settings, and making periodic reviews of old cards part of the monthly budget routine.

As for the blemish already on the report, commenters said the remaining options are limited. One suggested a goodwill letter might be worth trying, though they "wouldn't expect much," and another recommended pulling all three credit reports to confirm the Discover account shows a $0 balance and appears as a paid charge-off rather than an unpaid debt.

Another Reddit commenter wrote: "A credit score is analogous to your trustworthiness to pay back debt you take on. And just like trust, it is earned slowly and lost quickly."

Where can I learn more?

These stories cover streaming cancellations, rising monthly bills, plan-switch penalties, hidden service charges, and gym signup fees.

• Netflix customers say the cancellation flow pauses billing in a way that can let charges return later.

• As streaming prices climb, many Americans are canceling services near $120 monthly to cut back.

• Adobe users say a plan switch resets the no-fee cancellation window and keeps costs alive.

• One Xfinity customer learned the "free" watch carried a $10 monthly charge for three years.

• At one gym, a shopper found a "$100 processing fee," plus dues and enhancement charges.