Friday, April 12, 2013

Ten ways to get out of Credit Card Debt

Credit card debt is one of the most overwhelming types of debt as it often seems to be accompanied with skyrocketing interest rates that can easily cause your payment to increase if you are carrying a balance on the credit card. Getting out of credit card debt is best described as a process as it often does not happen overnight. Here are some ways that you can use to get out of credit card debt as effectively and as quickly as possible:

1. Pay off the most high interest debt first and the debt that is costing the most per month. To determine the debt that is costing the most per month simply multiply the balance of the debt by the interest rate which is being charged each month.

2. Pay more than the minimum payment. Paying more than the minimum payment will allow you to allocate more of the funds towards the principal rather than to the interest that has accumulated on the debt.

3. Stop using your 0 credit cards. The only one true way to get out of debt and avoid debt in the future is to stop using the credit cards. This can help you to stop accumulating interest charges and debt.

4. Lower your interest rates. Phone the credit card company and request that your interest rates be lowered. This can help to avoid the hefty interest charges that come with carrying a balance.

5. Take advantage of balance transfers. Balance transfers can allow you to avoid interest charges with introductory offers for up to twelve and even eighteen months. Through this time be sure to make regular payments and avoid missed payments as this can cause you to pay the default interest rate that could be upwards of twenty percent.

6. Call your credit card company and request that a hold or a freeze be placed on the account. This will ensure that you are unable to charge items to the credit card but you can still make payments towards the credit card.

7. Make a budget that includes fifteen percent of the budget towards debt repayment and stick to this budget. This will enable the budget to remain balanced without causing stress on other parts of the financial plan.

8. Establish a savings account that can act as a viable alternative to credit cards in case of an emergency. Try to contribute at least ten percent of the income each month to the savings account for the optimum savings results.

9. Make regular payments towards all credit card debts and other types of retail debt. These regular payments will ensure that the credit rating remains high and you can be subject to lower interest rates in the future which can help you to save money.

10. Take all measures possible to maintain the credit rating. Maintaining the credit rating is important as a low credit rating can mean that you are going to be subject to higher interest rates in the future.

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