The process of consolidating credit card debt is certainly a learning curve but is probably one of the best things a cardholder can do that will save them money and simplify their payments. If you are thinking about consolidating credit card debt then there are certain things you should consider first.
What are the benefits of consolidating credit card debt?
Of all the reasons in favor of consolidating credit card debt the one that is most beneficial is that you should be able to get improved interest rates, saving you heaps of cash. In fact anytime you can better your existing interest rate you should consolidate credit card debt. An easy way to see if a specific deal would benefit you is to add up all the interest rates on all the cards you have, divide the sum by the number of cards to get the average interest rate and if the interest rate offered by the new consolidation deal is lower then it is certainly worthwhile consolidating your credit cards as you will definitely save money.
If you have any cards that have a lower rate than the rate offered by the new card, you don't need to include them in your consolidation.
As mentioned earlier, consolidating credit card debt will actually simplify the payment f your bills as all of your credit card bills will now be rolled into just one, but you shouldn't do this if you are not saving any money.
Finally, by consolidating credit card debt, you have a much better chance of getting out of any mess you may have gotten into with your cards and it will be much easier to improve your credit history with one card rather than several.
OK, I want to consolidate all my credit cards what next?
Quite simply, go shopping! There are literally hundreds of Credit card companies nowadays, all offering different rates and deals. It may be a good idea to look for companies that offer balance transfers charged at 0% interest for a period of time, usually six months, but beware of the interest rates after this period as they may well be higher than what you were originally paying.
How do I choose which Card is best for me?
Choosing a credit card company for consolidating your credit card debt isn?t rocket science. As long as you keep your eye on the interest rates and the ever present small print, you will know, without a shadow of doubt, which deal is the best deal for you. Don?t be afraid to let the credit card companies know that you are shopping around for the best deal and give them something to beat; if you already have a good deal lined up let them know about it and give them an opportunity to better it, always remember that you are the customer and you owe it to yourself to get the best deal possible.
What if I am in severe credit card debt and am struggling to keep up with payments?
Consolidating your credit cards will help, but you will reach a point when the processes mentioned above for consolidating credit card debt will become useless as they are not designed to counter ever increasing debt but rather to lower payments of existing debt.
If you have fallen too far into debt and the likelihood is that you will struggle to get out of it, it is time to start looking at getting a debt consolidation loan rather than a credit card consolidation agreement. Before you do this you should check out the methods outlined on the sites that are linked to at the bottom of this article.
These methods are disliked by the financial institutions as they are extremely effective at eliminating debt in very short time spans and are totally legal and ethical. So, if you are in trouble financially, you definitely need to check out this information before taking your next step.
