How To Kill Your Credit Card Debts Forever
If you are feeling stressed out and overwhelmed because of large and unpaid credit card debts, then you should put necessary steps to deal with them. There is no better feeling than successfully taking control of your finances and turning it around.
Decide Which Credit Card to Payoff Next
Before you start your efforts, you should write down all the credit card balances and also the monthly interest rates. Place your credit cards based on the highest to lowest interest rate – not based on the balances. You should pay off cards with higher interest rate first as they are charging more each month just to have zero or minimum balance!
If you own credit cards with smaller balances that can be eliminated in a month or two, then go on and eliminate these cards first.
Reduce Interest Rates If Possible
Occasionally you can get the rate of interest reduced just by making a short phone call to your credit company. But mostly, you need to meet and negotiate with them, and of course it may not work at all, but it’s certainly worth the effort!
For instance, if you have $10000 of credit card debt at 20% interest, then the total interest payments are $2000. But if you can negotiate for lower interest rate, for example, 15%, then the total interest payment is $1500. You’ve saved $500 just from negotiating with them. That’s not bad at all!
However, if you have been late with the monthly payments or have a poor credit rating, then you are likely will not be successful when using this tactic – but it’s definitely worth a try!
Get Rid Of the Cards
If you can’t stop the bad habits of getting over your head when using the cards, then you should just cut them up for now. If it feels painful to shred those plastics, have a family member or friend do it for you. It’s always a good idea to own at least one credit card just for emergencies. Use a card with the best (lowest) interest rate – ask a trustworthy family member or friend to keep it for you.
Medics out in the battlefield may tell you that the most important thing to do to save a wounded soldier’s life is to immediately stop the bleeding. When dealing with substantial credit card debts, you can stop the financial hemorrhage by shredding the credit card. You can’t keep spending on a card if you don’t have one!