The value of credit card debt counseling
If the balances on your credit cards are more than you can handle, it may be time to seek credit card debt counseling. A credit card counseling service can show you all the options for paying down your balances and find the best strategy for your financial situation. Credit card debt counseling can also help you understand the behaviors that contributed to your debt, and how you can modify them to avoid debt in the future.
American Consumer Credit Counseling (ACCC) is a non-profit agency offering free credit card debt counseling, low-cost debt management programs, and free financial education to help consumers take control of their finances. With help from ACCC’s certified counselors, you can get out of debt once and for all and learn to live life debt-free.
Why choose non-profit credit card debt counseling?
When you’re looking for help with your debt, you’ll have the choice between non-profit credit card debt counseling and for-profit debt relief agencies. There are some major differences, so it’s important to understand how each type of agency works before you decide.
For-profit debt relief firms are driven by the need to make money. Consequently, they tend to charge high fees. They also recommend risky strategies that may ruin your credit rating, get you deeper in debt, or expose you to legal trouble. For example, debt settlement companies require that you stop making any payments to your creditors. The goal is to pressure your creditors into settling your debt for a portion of what you. However, this approach doesn’t always work. When it fails, it can leave you with even more financial difficulty.
In contrast, non-profit credit counseling services are driven by a mission to educate consumers about financial matters. These firms offer free or low-cost credit counseling services, and they recommend strategies that won’t ruin your credit rating or leave you deeper in debt. Non-profit agencies can also provide access to free educational materials and financial tools that can help you learn to manage money more effectively and avoid debt in the future.
ACCC: a leader in credit counseling and debt management
Founded in 1991, ACCC is a leader in the credit counseling industry. We deliver the strategies and financial education that help consumers get out of debt and manage money more effectively. Our credit card counseling service has helped thousands of individuals and families to successfully pay off their cards and stay out of debt. Our highly trained counselors are experts at analyzing your financial situation and helping you choose the approach that will work best for your financial goals.
In addition to credit card debt counseling, our services include:
- Free credit counseling to address a wide range of financial issues and help you develop a plan to solve them
- Debt management programs that let you consolidate your monthly payments, simplify your financial life, and potentially reduce interest rates, finance charges, and fees
- Housing counseling that includes reverse mortgage counseling, foreclosure counseling, and homebuyer education
- Student loan counseling to review all the options for managing your student debt
- Bankruptcy counseling, including the mandated pre-filing bankruptcy counseling session and the post-filing debtor education course
How credit card debt counseling works
Here’s what to expect when you come to ACCC for credit card counseling services.
- You’ll meet with a certified credit counselor in a free counseling session. In this first meeting, we’ll take a good look at your finances and review your income, expenses, assets, and debts.
- We’ll help you create a budget that lets you set aside money each month to pay down your debts.
- Your counselor will lay out all the options available to you for managing your debt, including personalized options based on your financial goals.
- We’ll help you determine which strategy will be most effective for you, based on your situation.
- We’ll help you take the first steps in implementing your plan, and we’ll provide ongoing support and assistance as long as you need it.
Your ACCC credit counselor will also connect you with free educational materials and financial tools that can help you learn more about budgeting, managing money, and avoiding debt in the future.
Why choose credit counseling with ACCC?
Credit card debt counseling with ACCC provides you with a wealth of benefits, including:
- Services from a reputable company that has been in the credit counseling industry for 30 years
- Assistance from certified and professionally trained counselors who are experts in the world of consumer credit and debt
- Convenient services provided six days a week in English and in Spanish
- Outstanding customer service from a team that cares about you and will work with you until your problems are solved
- Counseling provided face-to-face and over the phone
- Free educational resources to help you learn more about personal finance and about avoiding debt
- Free credit counseling – there is no charge for your initial credit card counseling session
- Reasonable fees for debt management services – our fees are among the lowest in the nation
FAQs: What is credit card debt counseling?
What is credit card debt counseling?
Credit card debt counseling is a service that helps consumers make a plan to get out of debt and learn how to avoid credit card debt in the future. Credit card debt counseling is offered by certified credit counselors who can recommend a variety of strategies based on a consumer’s financial situation.
What is a debt management plan?
A debt management plan is a simple strategy offered by non-profit credit counseling agencies. Under a debt management program, a credit counselor will help you set a budget you can live with while you pay down your debt. You’ll also consolidate multiple payments into a single payment to the credit counseling agency, which will disburse funds to creditors on your behalf. This strategy simplifies your finances, relieves financial stress, and lets the credit counseling agency seek potential reductions in interest rates, finance charges, fees, and monthly payments.
