Credit card debt » Credit Card Debt

Effectively Eliminate Credit Card Debt

admin — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 08:46:28 +0000

First and the foremost thing that hovers around in our minds, when we are in a tight debt situation is how to completely eliminate credit card debt. Harassing collection calls, mounting liabilities, and bad credit score is enough to drive anyone crazy. To avoid such a harrowing situation, it is wise to go in for consolidation solution and legally eliminate your dues forever.

Credit Card Companies On A High

Seeing the data of the profits earned by the credit card companies, one can well imagine the huge interest earned by these companies in short span of time. In 2006, credit card companies earned USD 90.1 billion in profit from interest charged to customers on their cards. Not only this, they also earned USD 55.2 billion by charging various fees to the customers, in addition to the heavy interest.

If you are late, only by a day in paying the minimum amount, the credit card companies impose heavy penalty and charge almost double as interest. This actually amounts to extortion and burdens the consumers, even more for those already deep in crisis. These companies specialize in exploiting your debt burden.

To get rid of the financial mess, you have to look at various options, if you finally intend to pay off the entire debt amount and breathe easy for the rest of your life. An easy option to achieve it is credit card debt consolidation.

Easy Installments Is The Key

To legally eliminate pending dues, it is always wise to go in for credit card consolidation, by getting a loan from the bank for the entire amount to be paid. Later, one can pay off the loan in easy monthly installments, according to your own convenience and pace.

You might also qualify for a home equity loan or line of credit, if you have a moderate credit. This way, you can reduce the interest amount that you need to pay up. Thereby, reducing the number of creditors and gradually eliminate credit card debt. Just a single monthly installment is all that is required from your side. Pay religiously and see that you will shortly meet all your financial goals.

Practicing credit card consolidation can surely rid you of all your woes and completely eliminate pending amount. So, spend wisely and do not be obsessive-compulsive buyer, this way, you will be saved from the vicious cycle of debt.

By: Asheesh Mani

Credit Card Debt Management – Way to Fix Card Debts

admin — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 21:06:17 +0000

Did you ever think why do you use the credit cards? Yes, to meet your needs and this is the most basic reason. But, probably you had never thought that someday this may lead you towards debts. Well, today when there is one or other type of cards every where luring you just cant help but using them. Ultimately many of us in this way get debts because of multiple cards and their unpaid bills clubbed with a number of interest rates. However, there are solutions too like a proper credit card debt management program.

When you get clogged with debts related to cards, this is simply because of multiple uses. So, your first task in this matter would be to reduce your use of the cards and if you can do this, you are half done with your unpaid debts.

Anyway, there are more important steps. In the second and the final step you need to take the aid of debt consolidation loans where you mush up all your existing debts into a single loan through which you pay back all your debts. This loan is again payable at single interest rate. Single loan with single interest is however, far better than multiple unpaid debts and you won’t disagree at this point. Well, these loans you can get again in both the regular loan formats, secured where loans get cheaper because of collateral and the unsecured where loans are advanced without collateral.

Besides, there are counselors also giving valuable suggestions regarding management of card related debts. However, all these benefits you can grab online where from loans to counseling and advice, everything you can get at your tips without any hassle.

Credit card debt management is not a fixed plan to tackle debts, it is in fact a process that involves your action also very much with a beautiful loan package to help you out. You can easily get yourself off the hook once you adopt the right way with a torch of management plan in hand.

By: Gracie Bishop

Credit Card Debt Is Compounding Interest In Reverse!

admin — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 11:04:15 +0000

When you borrow money, compounding works against you. It takes more of your money, sometimes far more than the amount you initially borrowed. When you carry a balance, interest is charged on already-accrued interest.

Credit card companies want you to go into debt-it makes them wealthy. In fact, they will entice you to spend more and more with “free” gifts and rewards. The credit card companies are good-very good-at having people spend beyond their means. In 1996 the average U.S. household had $5,875 in credit card debt. Just ten years later, in 2006, it was almost $10,000.

That monthly balance is their bread and butter-how they make their profit-from your hard earned money.

Have you ever noticed, perhaps this last Christmas, how easy it was to spend more than you planned? Were you surprised, even shocked, when the credit card bills arrived in January? When you aren’t conscious of the money you spend (not actually handling the cash) you will spend more than you can pay off in a month so the card carries a balance.

Let me show you how this works and why the credit card companies LOVE for you to owe them money – aka “to be in debt.”

~ $10,000 debt on a credit card (with no more charges added to the balance),

~ $200 monthly payment,

~ 20% APR (annual percentage interest rate),

~ 108.4 months until debt is gone-over 9 years to pay it off!

~ The credit card company will make $11,679.80 in interest!

What would happen to your personal finances and the wealth creation for you and your family if you were to pay yourself first and invested that $200 per month over the next nine years? It doesn’t seem like a lot of money, and yet with compounding it adds up.

For example, begin with a zero balance and add $200 a month for nine years. That means each year you will contribute $2,400-$21,600 total. At the end of the nine years, at 10% compounded annually, you will have $34,330. If you leave the $34,330 alone and keep the money compounding for an additional 11 years (20 years total) the $21,600 would be worth $97,862!

So I enjoy looking at possibilities-what if you were to continue to add $200 per month for the 11 years? (You will contribute $48,000 for the 20 years.) That $48,000 would be worth $144,797.

Even though I’ve had an average annual return of 15% for the past 50 years, I used 10% compounded annually because it’s “more believable.” However, let me expand your mind a bit. $200/month at 15% for 9 years is $43,489; for 20 years it’s $264,415.

You will have a great start to become a millionaire if your money is compounding and working for you-rather than for the credit card company.

Practice Wealth Creation for you and your family.

~ Stop using credit cards-choose to live within your means.

~ Use debit cards-then it’s your money you’re spending.

~ Better yet, pay with cash-you know the green stuff!

~ Focus on quickly paying your credit card(s) off-yes it can be done.

~ Start NOW- you may end up with hundreds or maybe even thousands of dollars in YOUR bank account by the end of the year.

That’s right, hundreds or even thousands of dollars in your bank account. Isn’t it time you choose to pay yourself? I firmly believe that “Wealth is not a matter of chance, it’s a matter of choice-Your choice alone!” Choose to be debt-free, and become a millionaire.

PLEASE NOTE: These calculations are from interactive online calculators and are not intended to provide investment advice. Taxes and inflation were not considered for obvious reasons.

By: Paul Damazo

Can A Balance Transfer Credit Card Help You With Debt Consolidation?

admin — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 22:16:43 +0000

It is not hard to have credit cards maxed out before you know it. Soon, though, the bills calling for payment on those things you bought begins to take its toll on your available funds. Before you know it, it may be next to impossible, almost, to catch up on your bills. Another credit card, however, may be just what you need to be able to give yourself a handle on your debt. In fact, a new balance transfer credit card may be just what you need to consolidate your debts.

Balance transfer credit cards enable you to transfer debt that you already have on one card to another one. As an introductory offer, many credit card companies that offer this type of credit card provide special deals on this type of transaction. Good balance transfer credit cards will offer you 0% APR interest for up to 15 months. This means that you pay no interest charges on the amounts you transfer to it.

The advantage here is obvious. Instead of continuing to pay a high interest on your credit cards, which actually reduces your payment toward the principal, a new card saves you money. You pay no interest for awhile, so all of your payment goes to reduce the principal on your old bill – unless you have added other purchases to the credit card.

Debt consolidation on this kind of credit card makes a lot of sense – especially if you take care not to max out your credit cards again. There should be some new restraint on those other credit cards – destroying some of them would probably be better for most people.

A balance transfer credit card is great for consolidating smaller debts onto one card. Look over the offers carefully, however, because some of these cards have fees for the transfers – up to 4%. You also need to know that some cards do not allow you to transfer any debt to them after you get it. All transfer amounts need to be listed on the application, in those cases.

The introductory offer will vary too, in some situations, so you need to pay careful attention. Sometimes the balance transfer portion of the special introductory offer is only for three months, and the other features of the same offer may apply for one year. This will take some careful reading on your part to make sure you get what you think you are getting. Obviously, only three months of 0% APR interest will help – but not much because it is so short.

Debt consolidation with one of these credit cards gives you some time to catch up on your bills. Be careful, however, to make sure you pay your bills on this new card on time. Some of these lenders, when you make just one late payment – or not a minimum payment, will take away the introductory offer rates and may give you an interest rate up to 29%! Needless to say – that won’t help you reduce your debt!

By: Joseph Kenny

Negotiate Credit Card Debt

admin — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 15:28:07 +0000

Negotiating with a Credit Card company can be easier than you think because you must remember that you are the one who is control. The credit card company does not want you to get mad and default on your debt so they know that you have leverage over them and it is important to use that leverage. You must be nice to them and professional but always make sure that you leave the negotiation table with what you want. You can always speak with a manager if you fell like you are not getting what you want with the first person who answers the phone.

If your debt has gone into default and you are now talking to debt collectors it is always important to try to resolve your debt with the original debtor because there are situations were the debt collector will lie to you and not pay the credit card company what you agree to pay them. It is better to negotiate with a debt collector through the mail and you can send them a letter telling that this is how you want to be contacted. If you fall into there phone call trap you can be in for a long and bad phone experience. They like to threaten you and make you feel like you are going to jail.

Always remember that when you are negotiating credit card debt that you need to get help form a professional credit agency that has the know how to handle these credit collectors.

By: Bryan Burbank

Credit Cards and Minimum Payments – Living in Debt

admin — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 05:48:37 +0000

Many people love their credit cards. It’s a fact of life and the figures bare this up. If you look at the rate at which UK credit card debt is rising it is quite amazing. Millions are being spent all day every day in an endless frenzy of spending. Pretty soon, three quarters of all adults in the UK will have credit cards and if you were to ask any of them to give theirs up, you can bet their answer would be no. The convenience and security of carrying a credit card is so great that once people experience it, they rarely go back.

One of the favourite features of credit cards for many people is the minimum repayment option. This is usually in the region of five pounds or two per cent. This means that even if you spend a thousand pounds on a shopping spree, your bill at the end of the month could be as low as twenty pounds if you choose to make the minimum payment. And this is what people do. It is what credit card providers want you to do, as it is how they manage to rake in billions in profits every year.

If you do have a significant outstanding balance, then making the minimum repayment is one of the most dangerous habits you can get into. Most minimum payments will barely cover the interest and finance charges that are due on the balance. This means that you are really just servicing the debt. This is what many third world countries are forced to do with their national debts and most people do not want to be the personal equivalent of sub-Saharan Africa do they? Servicing debt means you pay the interest due, but pay nothing against the principal debt. So all those monthly payments that you make are doing absolutely nothing to reduce the amount you owe.

If you continue spending on the credit card, the minimum amount, required simply to service the debt, will grow and grow each month. And all the while you are paying back nothing. If you aspire to becoming debt free, then you really have to pay a good deal more than the minimum payment level. Also, if you are serious about clearing your credit card debt, but recognise that it is going to take you more than just a couple of months, you may wish to consider consolidating the debt.

By: Joseph Kenny

Credit Card Debt Elimination

admin — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 19:13:55 +0000

Sure, you’ve heard of people talking about eliminating credit card debt with a consolidation loan, but does it really work?. The answer is YES, it is a useful tool that can help if you are in a situation with your credit card debt that you can’t handle alone.

If you are in credit card debt and have recently received an interest rate hike due to making a late payment, or even if you just wish to eliminate your credit card debt, a credit card consolidation loan may be just what you need. Credit counselors are available to discuss your individual situation too see if you might qualify for one of their credit card debt consolidation programs.

Credit card consolidation has it’s advantages and by qualifying for one you will receive a lower interest rate than what you are currently paying now. If you have been late on your payments and your creditor bumped up your interest rate as a result, you will save money just from the lower interest rate right from the start. With a credit card consolidation loan you may also find that your creditors will waive your previous late fees and other fees for exceeding your credit limit, and this alone could save you a lot of money.

One of the best benefits of debt consolidation is that your payments are now all combined into one manageable payment for you to make every month. Most times the amount required to pay back a credit card consolidation loan is less monthly than the amounts you were paying before you entered the program. This will help you to drive your debt down faster and allow you to pay off more of the balance each month. Qualified participants discover that they can wipe out their credit card debt in five years or less, where before it seemed like you would be paying them off until the day you die.

By: Zach Ford

How Can You Control Credit Card Debt?

admin — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 20:11:45 +0000

Credit cards are now the used everywhere, from your local corner shop to massive chain stores, online, and even on holiday, in every corner of the world. Credit cards have made shopping for all kinds of goods and services incredibly easy and convenient, for tens of millions of people around the globe.

Unfortunately this convenience and ease of use has led to an ever-increasing level of credit card debt. Individuals that owe large amounts of money to their flexible friend. Must try control their spending and reduce their over credit car debts to avoid serious financial hardship.

Credit cards can be a useful tool, because of their incredible convenience and ease of use. This convenience is what leads many people into financial difficulties, credit card companies themselves slowly seem to be recognising this fact.

Some companies are now actually beginning to lower credit limits for existing customers that previously did not use anywhere near their credit card limit. Many companies even offer advice to customers on how to deal with credit card interest and debt.

Realistically the problem has to be resolved by the cardholder themselves. It is quite possible that in the short term you may not be able to clear away any credit card debt. But it should the practical to at least, significantly reduce the amount that you owe.

The first thing to consider is not reducing the amount of credit card debt you have. But instead, concentrating on not increasing that debt, by controlling the amount of money spent on your credit cards.

One good solution is to reduce the number of cards that you carry around with you. If you have four or five cards reduce them down to one. Take the other four and put them somewhere safe at home. Carrying one card reduces the temptation to charge everything to the ‘plastic’.

If you think it is possible that you can manage without so many cards then consider cutting up one or two credit cards. Preferably ones with the highest balance, you should not, however, cancel these cards, you should only destroy them.

The next option is to make sure that you are never late with your credit card payments. Late card payments not only harm credit standing, they also incur interest and fees.

You need to stop thinking of credit cards as your main payment method. If you can try to draw out all the cash you need, each week from the bank. This will help to reduce impulse spending on items you don’t need and can’t afford.

Try not just pay the minimum off your card balance each month, doing this will take 18 years to pay off your existing balance. Instead select the card with the highest balance and concentrate all your efforts on paying as much of that card is possible. You should not forget to make payments on all your other cards.

When that card has been paid off in full, start the process again with the second highest card, and so on.

You might want to consider transferring balances from your cards to new credit cards that have a zero rate of interest. Reducing the amount of interest by will vastly speed of your repayments, giving you the psychological boost as well as saving money on interest.

One last option is to consider taking all your credit card and other debts, and using a debt consolidation loan to pay them all off. This will reduce the rate of interest you pay, and get your monthly payments down to a realistic level. There are lots of brokers online, who can help you set this up quickly and efficiently.

By: Joseph Kenny

Credit Card Debt Negotiation Tips

admin — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 02:24:22 +0000

One thing many people don’t understand is that they have the advantage. Most consumers run from debt collectors. Just the mention of a collection agency strikes fear in the hearts of the masses.

But, you have something the collector wants. They are basically begging you to pay. So if you get the image of a beggar calling you to ask for money in your mind, the collection agent doesn’t seem so intimidating. I certainly don’t want to down play the seriousness of the situation. They do have recourse, and it can be dire. But the fact is that the process is slow.

You can get them to give you the deal you want. You have to be firm, professional and show some fortitude. They are always going to tell you no. Relax, take a deep breath.

I really want to encourage you to NEVER talk to a collector on the telephone. First, most people can collect their thoughts a little better in a letter. It gives you time to think and make rational, unemotional, unpressured decisions. Second, everything you do with the collection agency needs to be written. If you use the mail everything is documented and date stamped. They can’t dispute it.

Most collection agencies pay literally a few cents on the dollar for old debt. Depending on the age, 1-7 cents may be average. On debts that are out of statute, they have paid one cent or less on the dollar.

Start your negotiation at 25% or less. If you owe $1000, offer $200 or $250. Many will accept quickly because they are making money can close out the account.

If the collection agency has added “fees”, don’t include them in the negotiated amount. Only negotiate on the original amount of the debt. Don’t seem to eager. Don’t volunteer any information. Never give them your bank account number, your employer or that inevitable “other number to contact you at”. Oh yeah, and why are you talking to them on the phone?

Time is on your side. Be firm, and get the deal you want.

By: Ted Batron

The "Credit Card Debt Termination" Scam

admin — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 12:40:39 +0000

“Legally terminate credit card debt! You can be debt-free in 4-6 months!” Advertisements like this are for a new type of program that has spread via the Internet over the past few years. It’s called “Credit Card Debt Termination,” and victims are paying $1,000s for this bogus service. One victim I spoke with lost more than $15,000! In this article, I’ll review the principles behind this program and explain exactly why it’s a scam to be avoided.

First, let’s get our definitions straight. The scheme I’m describing here should not be confused with Debt Consolidation or Debt Settlement (also known as Debt Negotiation), both of which are legitimate and ethical methods for debt resolution. The easiest way to distinguish the Credit Card Debt Termination scam from other valid programs is based on the central claim that you really don’t owe any money!

With Debt Consolidation, you pay back all of your debt balances. With Debt Settlement, you pay back a lower amount (usually around 50%) while the creditor agrees to forgive the remaining balance. However, with the bogus Credit Card Debt Termination program, promoters claim that you won’t need to pay anything at all (except their outrageous fees, naturally). They make the surprising claim that you can legally wipe away your debts simply by using their super-duper magic documents. Based on some legal mumbo-jumbo, the claim is made that you really didn’t borrow any money from your creditors!

In order to understand this scam, a little background is necessary. Remember the tax protest movement back in the 1970s? People were claiming that the IRS tax collection system was unconstitutional, and based on their misinterpretation of the tax code, they refused to pay taxes. The IRS came down hard on the tax protest movement, and through the court system, they blew holes in all the legal arguments put forth by the protesters. The Credit Card Debt Termination scam is a lot like the tax protest movement. In fact, among collection professionals, it’s called the “monetary protest movement.”

Just like the tax protest movement, there is a common theme that runs through all of the promotional materials issued by the monetary protestors. The basic idea is that our Federal Reserve monetary system and generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) do not permit banks to loan out their own money. Therefore, according to their interpretation, the credit card banks are the ones running the scam on the American public.

Stay with me here, because the logic is pretty strange. If a bank cannot lend its own money, how does a credit card bank extend credit? The claim here is that your credit card agreement itself becomes a form of money (known as a promissory note) the moment you sign it. The idea is that the bank “deposits” your agreement as an asset on their books, and then any credit you use is offset as a liability against that asset. In other words, the core concept here is that you literally borrowed your own money from the credit card bank.

So let’s say your balance with ABC Credit Card Bank is $10,000, which you borrowed against the card to make everyday purchases. The scam promoters say all you need to do is notify the bank that you want your original “deposit” back. However, you will permit the bank to offset the amount you borrowed against the amount you have on “deposit.” Presto! You don’t owe the balance anymore!

Now, as you can imagine, the banks don’t take kindly to such tactics. Many of the consumers using this technique are getting sued by their creditors. But the scammers have more tricks available, as if the “smoke and mirrors” financial nonsense wasn’t enough. One of their techniques is the use of bogus “arbitration” forums. Arbitration is of course a legitimate system that allows businesses and individuals to resolve disputes without going to court. What do the scammers do? They coach people on how to set up a fake arbitration forum, for the express purpose of making a dispute against their creditors! Naturally, the creditors will not send representatives to some non-existent arbitration forum, so the consumer gets to rubber-stamp their own arbitration award. If they get sued in a regular court, they present their bogus award to the judge in the hopes that the creditor’s lawsuit will be dismissed.

There are other techniques used by promoters of this scheme, but the key point to remember is the central claim that your credit card debt does not really exist. Of course, it’s all nonsense based on a misinterpretation of our monetary system, and if you step back and think about for a minute, the truth seems pretty obvious. What these scammers are saying is that the entire $700 billion credit card industry is operating on an illegal basis! Even if the legal theory used by the promoters were true (which it isn’t), do you think for a moment the government would allow this giant industry to go under? That’s exactly what would happen if the promoter’s claims were proven true and used on a widespread basis.

The Federal Trade Commission, which has jurisdiction here, hasn’t stomped on these con artists yet, but it’s only a matter of time. Unfortunately, in the meanwhile, consumers are being bilked out of millions of dollars for a worthless program that will only get them into deep trouble with their creditors. If you are approached by someone offering to wipe away your debts using this system, I strongly recommend you run in the other direction while you hold on tightly to your wallet or purse.

Remember, you can eliminate your debts if you take a disciplined approach to your finances, make a budget and stick to it, and don’t use your credit cards unless you can pay off new balances in full each month.

Good luck in your financial future!

By: Charles Phelan