Credit card debt consolidation - How to recycle expensive plastic money
Do you know the credit card debt figures in July 2005? £55.87billion. That is enormous. UK is standing witness to the growing incidence of multiple card holding. 6 out of 10 people have more than one credit card. According to APACS (Association of Payment Clearing Services) two third of adult population in UK is a credit card holder. Guess what, you are part of it. The average interest rate on cre... Read debt consolidation article
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Bad Credit Debt Consolidation Secrets
If you have managed to get yourself into a situation whereby you have many loans, credit card debt, mortgage, utilities, and other bills to pay, then think about credit card debt consolidation. It can be extremely difficult to get yourself debt free once the downward spiral has started. Maybe you had college fees to pay, got divorced, lost your job or have a large medical or legal bill to pay.
Even if there was no single, major event that caused your situation, it is all too easy to use a credit card for day to day expenses until your monthly paycheck comes in. Maybe you took out loans in order to pay for the amounts on the credit cards and found that you could not pay back the lender. Eventually you ran out of avenues to obtain further credit, and you have not managed to pay back what you owe. If you are unable to pay your utilities you could be disconnected; non payment of taxes and you could face imprisonment.
This situation can be aggravated by multiple demands, harassment, and increasingly threatening communications from lenders for repayments. All the while the money is outstanding, you will be having interest and late payment charges added to the total, multiplied by all these people you owe. You will find that obtaining credit is more and more difficult until your credit rating is so bad that you cannot gain funds from anywhere. If you have defaulted on a mortgage or other loan secured on your home, you and your family could become homeless adding more stress and worry to your situation.
If you benefit from receiving a regular income, then a debt consolidation loan is designed to help you get out of this downward spiral. The loaned sum is enough to settle with all the people requesting payment such as medical fees, attorney's fees, and college fees, federal state or local tax demands and those debts are then settled outright. Angry communications will stop. You now only have to deal with one person or organization that has agreed to consolidate your credit card debt, and you have one simple payment every month.
Debt consolidation loans are designed so that you have payments, which you know you can afford over a term which you can support. The interest rate and length of term over which your debt consolidation depends on the individual lender and what you negotiate with them. Once agreed, the term and interest rate are usually fixed which will help you plan your other finances around this predictable monthly payment. A longer term will mean that you pay more interest in the long run. If you add up the late payment penalties and the high interest charges (credit cards companies usually apply stringent interest and penalties for late payment) you will find that a debt consolidation loan is far cheaper, and far less stressful, than juggling multiple lenders or risking personal bankruptcy.
Once you have taken the decision to consolidate your debt you can begin to repair your credit rating. A debt consolidation loan could well be the answer to your problems if you are in this situation. Make sure you check with a professional financial advisor to see if you are entitled to any concessions or tax breaks.
Credit Card Consolidation - Advantages and Disadvantages
It is not uncommon for families or individuals to find themselves in the midst of credit card debt. Many people wonder if credit card debt consolidation is for them. What is involved in this process? Basically, a credit card balance transfer takes place so that all your credit cards are consolidated into one card. You receive one statement and deal with one company for the full balance of all your cards. Several companies offer this type of deal, and a Citi credit card is a good example.
Benefits:
Credit card debt consolidation can lower your monthly payments, which is very appealing to those in need of tightening their budgets. Combining all your credit card bills into one means that you only pay one bill. If you were paying the minimum balance of fifty dollars on three credit cards each month, you were paying a total of one hundred and fifty dollars on credit cards alone. The interest you were accumulating was at a high rate, as well, extending the time you are required to make payments and the total balance to be paid off.
But if you were to transfer the balance of all three cards onto a new Citi credit card, you would combine the balances and accumulated interest into one new balance. The Citi credit card offers free interest on balance transfers for twelve months to qualified card holders. So you will no longer be accumulating interest on the unpaid balances, at least for the first year. During this time, you can either pay only the minimum fifty dollar (for example) monthly payment, saving yourself one hundred dollars out of pocket each month, or you can continue paying the one hundred and fifty dollars monthly to quickly reduce your debt and avoid the interest that will arrive after twelve months.
In addition, with a credit card balance transfer, you will often get a better interest rate. The basic Citi credit card offers an interest rate of 10-12% after the first year on your balance transfers. Both of these benefits add up to more cash for other expenses.
Drawbacks:
The drawbacks to credit card balance transfer are worth considering before you make a decision about your credit card debt consolidation.
When you transfer your balances to a credit card with an interest-free trial period of six months to a year, keep in mind that the interest will go up after the trial period is up. So if you haven't paid down your balance by then, get ready to accumulate more interest and make more payments.
Also, most card companies will include in the terms of service agreement a clause about default. Defaulting on your agreement about the interest-free trial period can include making a late payment, making a payment that doesn't go through, or going over your line of credit. When you default during your trial period, the interest-free part of the agreement is made null and void. This means that you are no longer entitled to the free interest on your credit card balance transfer. Most companies will assess a very high interest rate after a customer defaults. The basic Citi credit card comes with a default interest rate of about 30%. That is a huge portion of your balance and will cost you a great deal of money.
About the Author: S.E. Kirk is the owner of SearchCardsToday.com and CreditCard-Directory.com
Kirk's sites provide consumers the ability to find, compare, and apply online for the best offers on airline credit cards, balance transfer credit cards, business credit cards, cash rebate credit cards, low interest credit cards, rewards credit cards, student credit cards, bad credit credit cards, and no annual fee credit cards from the major credit card issuers, such as, American Express, Visa, MasterCard, and Discover Card.
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Bad Credit Debt Consolidation Secrets
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