How Can I Eliminate Credit Card Debt?

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Articles:: How Can I Eliminate Credit Card Debt?

There are several methods to eliminate credit card debt, and they usually start with making certain not to spend any more money with credit cards. It's hard to get out of debt when people continue to spend, because the amount of debt can stay static or even increase.

Once the commitment not to make any more credit card purchases is in place, people can choose numerous options to eliminate credit card debt. These include figuring out how to pay the debt from current funds, removing the debt from cards and transferring it to low interest loans like home mortgages, using a consumer credit agency, and claiming bankruptcy.

The most desirable option is to pay down credit cards from current and future funds. People are advised to evaluate all cards and amounts owed and begin by first paying off those cards with highest interest rates. If rates are truly high, people may want to look to transferring the debt to a lower interest card. Customers may also be able to get lower interest rates by simply contacting the credit company and asking for a lower rate.

Reasons to pay off highest interest rate cards while making minimum payments on other cards are fairly easy to understand. Those cards with high interest mean less of the actual debt gets eliminated each month. Making minimum payments doesn't usually pay any money to the principal debt and may only cover interest payments. On the other hand, low interest cards don't accumulate interest debt as quickly, which means they'll be easier to pay off after high interest loans have been paid.

Some people find they cannot eliminate credit card debt through this method because all their cards have high interest amounts, or they have so many cards that even minimum payments are too great of an expense. Another way to eliminate credit card debt is to move all of the money owed to a different type of loan. Those who have significant equity in their homes may be able to refinance and add the debt to their homes, with only slightly higher payments, or even lower ones if they can get more desirable interest rates. For some, adding debt to home mortgages solves the issue of multiple payments owed per month.

An alternate option is to work with a consumer credit counseling groups, which may be able to negotiate with credit companies to reduce or eliminate interest so debt can be paid quickly. There are some excellent counseling companies and those that charge high fees for this service, even if they are non-profit. Many of these credit counseling services are scams and can end up damaging credit ratings more, so research reputable credit counseling agencies before choosing this route.

The final option is to declare bankruptcy, which will eliminate credit card debt quickly and completely. Not all people are eligible to go bankrupt, and they may need to prove inability to pay debts. Bankruptcy is an unattractive to most people because it will affect credit rating for up to ten years. However, there are certainly circumstances where people have no other choice and cannot possibly eliminate credit card debt without this option.

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