Credit Card Debt: How to Get Rid of It

This method is simple, but requires some discipline.

First, you have to stop any new spending on your cards.

Second - you'll need to examine all of your spending. You'll need to know how much extra money you'll be able to put towards paying off your cards.

Credit card companies generally determine the minimum payment to be 2 - 2.5% of the outstanding balance. So if you owe $1,000, for example, your minimum payment will be 20 - $25 per month.

Some part of that $25 goes to the interest on the balance, some to pay off the actual balance. How much goes where depends on the interest rate. Your credit card statement will give you the exact numbers.

Let's say that $20 of the $25 goes to the actual balance. To pay off $1,000 at $20 per month will take 50 months. Just over four years. You'll also have paid $250 in interest alone.

Here's how you pay them off:

Look at the interest rates on all your credit cards. Take the one with the highest rate. That's the one you're going to work on first and we'll call it card #1.

After examining your spending you may have found some money to put towards your payments. All of this extra money to pay off your card debt goes to this one card. The idea is to pay as much extra to card #1 as you can. Until it's paid off.

Pay the minimum balances on all the other cards until card #1 is done.

Then take the card with the next highest interest rate and add to its payment the total of the payment you were making to card #1. In other words, send the regular monthly payment you used to send for card #1, plus any additional amounts that you used to pay on card #1, plus the monthly minimum for card #2- all to card #2. Do this until card #2 is done.

Then take the total you were paying to cards #1 and #2 and add that to the payment on card #3, and so on.

Here's an example:

Let's say you have four, maxed out, credit cards. Each with a balance of $5,000 ($20,000 total.)

Say the minimum payment on each card is $100 (yours may be different) making your monthly minimum payment total $400.

Now let's say you have $500 per month to pay these off, which you found through analyzing all your spending.

Card #1 has the highest interest rate and you'll send $200 per month to that card and pay the minimums ($100) on each of the others.

And you're not adding any new spending.

The extra $100 you're sending in to card #1 goes to the actual balance of the card, not the interest. This will let you pay that card off a lot faster. You might be able to kill this card in two years, instead of 5.

Eventually, card #1 is dead. The entire payment, $200, that you were making to card #1 gets added to the payment on card #2, for $300 total. ($100 minimum plus the extra $200 from card #1.)

The balance on card #2 will be less than $5,000 since you've been making your minimum payments all along. Adding the $200 from card #1 to the payment of $100 that you've been making to card #2 will make this card go away much faster than the first card did.

When card #2 is gone you take the $300 per month that you were paying to #1 and #2 and add it to the payment on #3, which will now be $400/month.

When #3 is done you repeat the procedure for card #4, but now you're sending the whole $500/month to that one card.

Obviously this system will take years, but at the end of that time you have:

* Four dead cards (hopefully you cut most of them up,)

* Spending and budgeting discipline earned from going through the whole process, and

* $500/month to put into a savings account or where ever.

Good luck!

Greg has a degree in biology so, naturally, went into teaching martial arts. Now he builds websites on whatever topic happens to be of interest. For more articles on easing your credit card debt, visit Credit Card Debt Help.

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Debt Relief Information:

Related Articles


Is Independence Overrated?
Happy Independence Day from The Money Motivator!If you don't celebrate "The 4th of July" like we do in the United States, today still presents you with an awesome opportunity to examine your independence.Independence means the quality or state of being dependent.
Student Loans Can't Be Swept Away Through Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is in the news these days, as Congress has finally overhauled the Federal bankruptcy law after years of talking about it. The credit card companies, rightly or wrongly, have been pressuring members of Congress to tighten the bankruptcy statutes, saying that too many people were willfully spending money they couldn't repay with the intention of avoiding paying the money back by filing for bankruptcy.
The Credit Card Debt Termination Scam
"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.
Tips To Take Control Of Debt Collection
Yes, debt collection tips can help. You may think you have no power when the debt collector comes calling, but think again! Creditors don't like losing out on the ability to collect money owed them.
How To Pay Credit Card Debt Off
If you are determined to pay credit card debt off you are making the best financial decision of your life. The reason credit card debt is so bad is because it carries such a high interest rate.
Ten Ways to Get Out of Debt
1) Use your AssetsIf you have assets with some significant equity, such as a home or a car you may be able to use these to get control of your debt. For example, you could get a loan on your home sufficient to pay off your debts.
Dealing with Thingitis
Debt is quickly becoming an epidemic in America. However, through the past 50 years, America has not seen such large domestic growth.
Debt Help and Advice for the UK
At some time or another during our lives most of us will overspend and get into debt. Sometimes we can get our finances back on an even keel by cutting down on a few luxuries.
Debt Settlement -- Why the Critics Are Wrong
After October 17, 2005, a lot of people are going to become interested in debt settlement as an alternative to bankruptcy. That's the date the new bankruptcy law goes into effect, and it means a rude awakening for many consumers seeking a fresh start in bankruptcy court.
Debt Settlement
What is debt settlement?Debt Settlement is a process to settle your debts with the creditors. With debt settlement, a third party or you yourself negotiate with your creditors to come up with a reduced debt that you agree to pay.
Slowing Spending - The Key To Your Debt Plans Success
Anyone who embarks on a debt reduction program should know the rules for success. There aretwo.
Questions to Ask a Credit Counseling Service about Debt Relief
Debt relief is a topic on a lot of consumers' minds these days, and with good reason. American credit card debt in 2001 was $692 billion, triple the amount from 1989.
Credit Card Debt Elimination
Credit card debt elimination can be done with a good plan and a little patience.The important thing is to find what works best for you and stick to your plan.
Bank Like a Banker
The business of banking has changed dramatically over the last decade. Because the cost of doing business the old-fashioned way is no longer effective, banks are interested in changing their customers' behavior by encouraging electronic banking alternatives whenever possible.
Christian Debt Consolidation - Feel Comfortable About Managing Your Debt
Many Christians feel uncomfortable with the notion of being in debt, and even more so when the debt has gotten out of control. Some say that it is not acceptable for Christians to owe any money, even for such necessities as a home.
Drowning in Debt? Tips and Tricks for Getting Out of Hot Water with Creditors
Do you, like millions of other Americans, feel like you're sinking in an ocean of credit card debt? Well, fear not--there are many options for reducing your debt way before you have to be concerned about receiving notices or daunting telephone calls from debt collectors. The important thing to remember is to be proactive in handling your credit card debt.
Mr. Cheapies Frugal Budget Tips
So you feel like a hamster spinning your wheel? The faster you run, the faster the wheel spins. Just when you get a raise, you notice the price of hamster wheels jumps!Mr.
Should You Invest In Savings Or Payoff Your Debts?
I have faced this financial question 8 years ago and recently I have friends asked me this same question. I think I should write it up so that it may help some of you that having the same situation.
The 5 Secrets to Getting Out of Debt Fast
As they stare down at a teetering pile of bills, so many consumers wonder how they racked up such a large debt. The answer boils down to simple mathematics.
Bankruptcy As An Option
If your financial worries are preventing you from sleeping at night, then you may have considered bankruptcy in hope of a little relief. Usually, consumers only turn to bankruptcy if there is no other hope for them to get out of debt.