Credit Card Glossary: Terms and Definitions

Zombie debt

Zombie debt is old credit card and other debts that are beyond the statute of limitations, so a debt collector cannot successfully use the courts to collect them. Although these debts no longer have the courts as an avenue of collection, there’s nothing to prevent debt collectors from asking consumers to pay them. In recent years, the debt collection industry has expanded, creating more agencies and lengthier efforts to collect. So from the consumer’s perspective, debts don’t die, they rise to live on and on. Like zombies.