When to stop paying credit cards?

[ohsopoor]

I am meeting with an attorney this week for my initial consultation, but I have a question that needs answering before then. When do I stop paying my credit cards? Several of them are due this week, so do I need to pay them? I'm planning on filing Chapter 7 as soon as I can. I've been struggling to pay the minimums for a long while now, and I'm definitely looking forward to having the cash in my pocket to pay for gas and food! I know I'm supposed to stop using the credit cards for non-essential items, but when can I stop making payments on them?

I've been lurking on this site for a while now after attempting a debt management program. It's just not working--I can't afford even the basics! Thanks for all your help--I'm so glad I found you all!

[shakeshak]

ohsopoor,I met with the attorney I plan to hire last week,and he told me to stop paying on any debt I wasnt planning to reafirm. He said paying on debt that I was planning to discharge was just throwing money away.
Hope this helps.

[ohsopoor]

Yes, it does!!! Thanks so much! I was wondering how I was going to afford to pay the attorney if I had to keep paying these credit cards!

[Cali]

In your time of lurking, did you read any of the stickies? I would suggest reading them there is so much knowledge in them.

And to answer your question, must people stop paying them once they know they are going to file.

[PaKettle]

Once you KNOW you're going to file, you can stop paying.
However, if you are even a little unsure that you qualify, you may want to hold off at least until your initial consultation to see if your case is a "for sure" Ch. 7 or a "maybe Ch. 13".
Then again, if you can't pay then you can't pay, so it doesn't much matter.
It's just that in one case I remember an attorney told a guy he qualified for Ch 7 so he could stop paying his bills. Then he found out he did NOT qualify, and he wished he'd have not ruined his credit by stopping...
Genrally speaking, once you cannot pay, there's no point robbing Peter to pay Paul...