Interactive: Life cycle of a delinquent credit card account

You owe money, and the constant phone calls and letters from debt collectors won't let you forget it. The longer your debt goes unpaid, the more it changes hands -- which means that your debt will continue to get priority status each time it’s sold.

In the interactive below, we'll explain the ins and outs of the delinquent debt cycle. Click "Play" to see how it all works:

More from CreditCards.com:

• Escaping co-signing: How to get out of a co-signed loan, credit card
• Uncle Sam wants you ... unless your credit stinks
• How bad are your credit card mistakes?