How To Pay Down Your Credit Cards Faster

Credit card debt gets built up in a lot of ways. Some of us get behind on bills due to the loss of a job or maybe we overextend our budgets. Others of us simply just spend too much money on things we don’t need and now we’re left paying the bills. Whatever the situation, credit card debt can really crush your budgets and it can take a heavy toll on you emotionally as well. So how do you get those debts paid off? Here are a few suggestions to clear debt from your credit cards.

First, stop using the credit cards. If you are trying to pay off your credit cards such as secured credit cards and all the while you continue to use your credit cards to buy things, then you’re fighting a losing battle and you will likely never pay them off. If you can’t trust yourself not to use the cards then you should cut them up to make sure you really can’t use them. If cutting them up is too extreme perhaps give them to a trusted friend for safe keeping unless it’s a real emergency.

Next, take a look at your interest rates on your cards. The easiest credit card to get and instant decision credit cards may have high interest rate. If you have a really low rate then you can skip this section and move on to the next tip, but if you’re paying more than 20% on your card you need to find a way to get that lowered. You could try working with your credit card company to lower the rate. This is the better way to go because you will maintain a positive relationship with your existing company, but they aren’t always eager to lower your rates, especially if you have been a problem customer in the past. If they won’t lower your rate you can instead look for one of those zero interest credit cards and transfer your balance for an introductory zero percent rate. Whichever option you choose, just get that rate lower and be sure there is not some type of 0 balance transfer fee attached to the transfer.  If you are in serious debt – you may be able to have some of your credit card debt forgiven with the credit card debt forgiveness act.

Last, you need to establish a budget. A lot of people try to pay down their balances by just throwing money at it, but you really need to establish a budget so you can understand your finances and know how much you can pay each month – no matter whether you are a hardworking citizen or a college student searching for the best college student credit cards. This is also a great way to identify frivolous expenses like that morning cup of coffee that can add up over the month. If you can find a few hundred extra to pay throughout the year it could amount to a big savings in the end.