Monday, 26 May 2008

How to Deal with Credit Card Debt

By M. Anthony

It was only a matter of time before the number of people experiencing credit card debt would increase; as they are accepted at almost every business, spending on them has increased dramatically. Very few people that can say they owe nothing on them and as a consequence these finance companies are now owed thousands of dollars on most of the cards that have been issued, unfortunately people are only now beginning to realize that the damage has been done. It now remains for each individual to realize what a position they are in and find some way to obtain credit card debt relief.

The first thing to do before opting for financial help is to stop using the card all together because if this doesn't happen it will be almost impossible to devise a debt relief plan. As soon as the spending has ceased it will be easier to find a source of credit card debt relief for the user. Of the options available, three in particular come to mind as the best ways to approach the debt consolidation problem.

The next step is to find a credit card that is offering special low interest rates on balance transfers, this way the debt consolidation can be made into one loan which can be repaid in regular installments. A good alternative to this option is a consolidation loan at a low interest rate where the debtor can decide exactly how much they can afford to repay every month after the outstanding debts have been cleared.

The only problem here is that the debtor must be determined enough to stick to the plan they have made until the end. Remember, consolidation by card or loan will only work if the debtor has not already damaged their credit history.

There are times when credit card debt relief is not possible by this route and it is left to negotiation, often by a specialist company. The company can negotiate with the creditors to accept some money, generally about 50 percent of the outstanding balance and then write off the rest.

Bankruptcy should always be viewed as a last resort when all other options have been tried as there are serious consequences to this course of action. Once this option has been decided upon the debtor must be in no doubt that they will find it difficult to apply for any type of credit until the end of the bankruptcy as they will need to rebuild their credit rating. Debt is no joke so learn from the predicament you found yourself in so that you will not need relief from your credit card debts a second time.

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