While its true that the average American owes $9,000 in credit card debt, it's also true that many people owe a great deal more than this. Unfortunately, if you find yourself in a situation where your credit card debt is “through the roof” and your interest rates are hovering above 20%, it's not likely that you can realistically pay it off in less than 40 years if you're just making the minimum monthly payments.
For instance, if the amount of credit card debt you owe is $50,000, at an average interest rate of 24.99%, it will take you exactly 41 years and two months to completely eliminate your credit card debt. And it gets worse – the total you will end up paying at the end of 41 years is a staggering $102,129, with more than half of this amount going toward interest.
Even putting yourself on a five-year plan will end up costing you. You see, if you can afford to pay $1,437.34 each month, you'll end up paying a total of $86,240, with $36,240 of that going toward interest.
To avoid this trap it's important to review other options to eliminate your debt. If you have sufficient equity in your home you may qualify for a low-interest home equity loan. If you're struggling to pay your bills each month, you might want to expand your options to consider consumer credit counseling, debt settlement or even bankruptcy.
No matter what your current situation, if you owe a significant amount of money on high interest credit cards it's highly recommended that you choose an alternative to continually paying the minimum required payments, as this path will only lead you to several more years of high debt and payments.
Credit Card Debt Pay Off
A change in lifestyle plays an important part in the elimination of debt. A person who is an excessive spender should adopt an attitude of spending less. There is no need spending money and buying something that you cannot pay for. It is always better to note down all the expenses you face in a month and the income you generate. Then if your expenses are greater than income, it sure means you have to limit on expenses! Once you lower your expenses, you will end up with more money to pay for your debt.
The best approach to adopt to eliminate credit card debt is to have your excessive debt discounted. Sometimes, credit card companies accept about 50% or less as payments for the debt if they are convinced that you are heading towards bankruptcy. So write a letter to the credit card company explaining your situation and how you intend to pay off the credit card debt. Including the point that you plan to file for bankruptcy, and intend to settle with willing creditors will compel them to agree with you, lest they be left with nothing!
When paying yourself out of debt, it is always better to pay the high-interest credit cards first. This means that if you have three credit cards, you could pay the minimum for the two cards with lower interest rate. If you allot $300 per month for paying credit card dues, you could pay $60 for two cards as minimum payment. You then pay $180 for the remaining high interest card. Then once one of the lower interest credit card debts gets covered, you pay only $60 to the remaining of the two and $240 to the high interest credit card. This way, you can pay off credit card debt quickly.
Switching to a credit card with a lower interest rate is a great way of eliminating credit card debt. There are many low interest credit cards in the market nowadays; some also offer introductory 0% interest for your first twelve months. Once you open an account in such a credit card company, you have to switch your balance to this 0% bank account. There will be no interest incurred in this account, and so the money you used to pay for interest could be used to pay the actual debt you have with the credit card company. These regular payments will help reduce your debt faster.
There is no point in only making minimum payments to your credit card payments. You have to pay part of the principle, and not only the interest when paying monthly installments. The more of the principle you pay, the lesser your interest turns out to be. You will feel the difference when you see your reduced credit card bills.
If all these fail, you can always turn to a credit card debt consolidation loan. Here you take a debt consolidation loan that will cover all your credit card loans. The credit card debt consolidation loan is usually of a lower interest rate, and can be paid over a longer period. The consolidator will first assess your financial position, and approach your creditors to negotiate for lowered interest rates, and a longer period to repay the loan.
The credit card company usually obliges to this as they prefer a small payment against no payment! Instead of you paying all the credit card companies their monthly payments, you just have to make a single payment to the debt consolidation company. It is up to them to disperse the money to your creditors. With this, you rid the hassles of facing your creditors every month.
Both Marie Megge & Darnell Scott are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Marie Megge has sinced written about articles on various topics from Finances, Credit Counseling and Debt Consolidation. Marie Megge is a consultant in the credit services industry. Over the past several years she has assisted many individuals in resolving their debt-related matters. For more information regarding credit and debt visit. Marie Megge's top article generates over 18100 views. to your Favourites.
Darnell Scott has sinced written about articles on various topics from Finances, Debt Consolidation and College Student Loan. For more information on getting rid of credit card debt with a visit our. Darnell Scott's top article generates over 22200 views. to your Favourites.
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