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Eliminate Credit Card Debt Legally - Strategies For Paying Off Credit Cards
By: Carrie Reeder
Eliminating credit card debt legally will free up funds in your monthly budget.
It will also improve your credit score so you can qualify for better rates on
future purchases, such as a car or home. To start getting your credit cards
under control, lower your interest rates. Then develop a payment strategy. If
you need some outside discipline, turn to a debt management company.
Start Lowering Your Interest Rates
High interest rates make it nearly impossible to get a handle on large credit
card balances. But by lowering your interest rates, you can increase your
payment on those cards’ balances without increasing your overall payment.
The two most common ways to reduce your rates are to open a new credit card or
consolidate with a loan. Transferring balances to an introductory low or no rate
card is a no cost solution. Consolidating bills with a home equity or personal
loan provide long term low rates with some closing costs involved.
Develop A Payment Plan
Once you get your interest rates under control, develop a payment plan to get
out of debt. One course is to make extra payments on the lowest balance. Then
when it is paid off, use those extra funds to pay off the next lowest balance.
The other option is to make extra payments on the highest interest account. Even
though it may take longer to close out an account, you will see a long term
savings in your interest costs.
Get Help Before It’s Too Late
Before you start thinking about bankruptcy, look at a debt management company to
help you deal with your debt. For a small fee, they will pay your bills, lower
your rates, and structure a debt elimination plan. While your credit score may
temporarily decrease, debt management is better than a credit report with a
bankruptcy or foreclosure.
Evaluate all of your options before settling on a credit card payment plan. The
greatest savings are often found with the do-it-yourself approach of debt
consolidation and budgeting. However, debt management companies provide a
valuable service to those who need more structure to get out of debt.
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