5 Tips to Get Rid of Credit Card Debt
Credit cards may make life easier. However, credit card bills, when not managed well, can cause serious trouble. Mounting credit card debt is one of the leading personal financial problems that many have to deal with. Plus, an increasing debt can cause credit scores to take a hit, affecting financial goals and plans. Although quite stressful, it is not very difficult to overcome pending credit card dues.
Here are a few simple tips to get out of credit card debt.
1. Manage one card at a time
In most cases, credit card debt is the result of using too many cards. The bills and dues for the multiple cards keep piling up. Things can get out of hand if dues are not paid back in time. One of the easiest ways to get out of credit card debt is to target one card first. Depending on financial abilities, pick a card with the highest debt or the one with the smallest debt. Then work your way through repaying the bills of the rest of the cards in that order.
2. Request for lower interest rate
This tip generally works when a person has a good credit score or is a long-term customer with the credit card issuer. In such cases, a quick phone call can be made to request a lower interest rate. In the interest of retaining loyal customers, especially those who rarely default their bills, some credit card issuers may shave off a point or two from the overall interest rate. This means saving at least a hundred dollars while repaying the credit card debt.
3. Try out a balance transfer
Another easy way to get out of credit card debt is to transfer the balance. This means you are transferring the balance of the high-interest card to the one with low interest. This way, you will be paying off your credit card debt quickly and also saving a bit more. However, use this method of repaying credit card bills with caution; you must be committed to pay off the dues within the introductory low-interest-rate period.
4. Get help from peer-to-peer lenders
Borrowing money through peer-to-peer lenders is another effective way to get rid of credit card debt. Most of these are online lenders that are known to be secure. They offer loans that have fixed interest rates. These rates are generally 20 to 30 percent lower than the interest rates of most credit cards. So, you can quickly pay off your debt at once and also save money on the interest on your debt.
5. Pay double of the minimum payment
Paying the minimum payment on your credit card will help you cover the interest on the debt. However, you will still fall behind in repaying the entire debt, which will keep accumulating over time. One of the best ways to reduce the deficit is to pay twice the minimum payment. This is a far quicker way to get out of credit card debt.