Considering debt consolidation for credit cards?
When the balances on your credit cards become too high to handle, you likely may begin receiving a lot of offers around debt consolidation for credit cards. These may include 0% interest offers for balances you transfer to another credit card, or debt consolidation loan offers that encourage you to take out a new loan at a low interest rate in order to pay off credit card balances that you’re carrying at a higher interest rate.
These strategies for debt consolidation on credit cards can work in theory. But the thing you should know about debt consolidation for credit cards is that the debt consolidation business is a highly profitable one, and those profits are most often earned from consumers who consolidate credit card debt intending to pay it off — but never do. When planning for ways to pay down your credit card debt, it’s important to choose a strategy that you can follow through on to eliminate debt as quickly as possible.
When you want advice and guidance on choosing the best approach to debt consolidation for credit cards, American Consumer Credit Counseling (ACCC) can help.
Get assistance with debt consolidation and credit cards
ACCC is a nonprofit organization with a mission to help consumers get out of debt and avoid debt in the future. We provide free credit counseling to help you better understand your financial situation, survey all of the options available to you for paying off debt, and choose the approach that makes the most sense for your financial goals.
In addition to free credit counseling, our services include free educational materials on a wide variety of subjects from budgeting and managing money to saving for retirement and dealing with bankruptcy. In addition, our counselors can provide answers to all of your questions around debt, including questions like “How do I consolidate loans?” and “Are there debt consolidation loans for bad credit?”
An alternative to debt consolidation for credit cards
While debt consolidation for credit cards may be a good choice for some consumers, many of our clients find that a debt management plan is a more effective way to reduce debt while preserving their credit rating. In a debt management plan, rather than consolidating debts in a new loan, you’ll consolidate payments by making one single payment each month to us, and allowing us to make payments to your creditors for you. That means we take the responsibility of paying each of your creditors on time, while working with your creditors to seek possible reductions in interest rates, finance charges, late fees and over-limit fees that can help to reduce the amount you owe. In most cases, consumers who choose debt management over debt consolidation for credit cards are able to pay off their debt within five years or less.
Learn more about debt consolidation and credit cards from ACCC, and get answers to your questions about direct loan consolidation and “How do I pay off debt faster?”
