**Yes—an unpaid subscription could hurt your U.S. credit score even if you used a virtual card. A prepaid Visa would not remove that risk.**

The distinction is between the payment method and the subscription agreement:

- **A declined card charge does not itself hurt your credit score.** It also does not mean you missed a payment to your credit-card issuer. [Experian explains this distinction.](https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/does-having-your-credit-card-declined-hurt-your-credit/)
- **Blocking payment does not cancel the subscription or erase a valid debt.** Whether those additional newspaper deliveries were chargeable depends on the subscription terms and applicable law. A virtual card’s spending limit does not, by itself, limit your contractual obligation. [CFPB guidance on stopping automatic payments](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/how-do-i-stop-automatic-payments-from-my-bank-account-en-2023/)
- **If a valid unpaid balance goes to collections and is reported, it could affect your credit.** Reporting is not automatic, but using a virtual card does not prevent it. The subscription is associated with you through your customer information, rather than solely through the card number. [CFPB guidance on collection reporting](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/when-can-a-debt-collector-report-to-a-credit-reporting-agency-en-2111/)

A prepaid card would limit the money available on the card, but the same subscription obligation could remain after its balance ran out. Prepaid cards themselves generally do not establish credit history. [CFPB explanation](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-are-some-ways-to-start-or-rebuild-a-good-credit-history-en-2155/)

Given that you paid and NY Times confirmed it would not forward the matter to collections, **there is no indication from your account that your score was affected**. Keep the payment and cancellation confirmations; you can check your reports through [AnnualCreditReport.com](https://www.annualcreditreport.com/) to verify.