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Consolidating Credit Card Debts Is Part of Credit Repair

Overspending is an easy mistake that many people make. That’s because people feel that as long as their credit is approved, they can keep adding to their credit until it maxes out. You just can’t keep it up, because you eventually won’t have the money to pay for what you purchased. Consolidating credit your card debts can be a good first step towards repairing your credit.

Overspending with credit is not just happening in the US, it’s now worldwide.

Credit card consolidation is actually quite easy. You simply combine all the debts you owe to various creditors, so you end up paying just one creditor every month.

There can be many benefits to credit card consolidation.

First, you often can pay off your debt at much lower interest rates than what you were paying.

Once you consolidate all your debts into one, you will re-age your account. That means that your account becomes current and active so long as you keep making the payments you agreed on.

Whereas card companies charge you late fees when you are late on your payments, most credit card debt consolidation programs waive late fees, so you only pay what you actually owe.

Debt consolidation plans buy you time so you can choose whether to finish paying in a few weeks or spread it out over months.

Once you consolidate your credit card debt, you next need to get the money to pay it off. You should work to reduce your expenses as much as possible. You could also try asking for a raise, or get a second job, or sell off some things you own.

You can apply for credit card consolidation through a bank, or you can go to private and non-profit organizations that offer similar services. Search for the right one to work with and then work with them to consolidate, then reduce your debt.

While looking for an organization to work with, check on them before signing up, because there are a lot of scams.

Once you start reducing what you owe, you’ll feel much better and it soon you’ll be able to repair your credit.

One good way to repair your credit is to work to improve your credit score. You can try to open new lines of credit, and if the big credit card companies deny your application, get a credit card offered by a local supermarket, grocery store or major department store chain. You can also try through your banks. Always read the fine print, because some credit cards have high fees and interest.

Then, try to pay your bills on time, because all that hard work you did to improve your credit will go to waste if you miss a payment.

The debt you owe to creditors took a long time to grow, so it may take a while before you get debt free. Remember, you created this situation yourself, so you only have yourself to blame.

Of course, credit card consolidation is just one part of credit repair. Once you start it, keep working on it, because that is the only way you can improve your credit score and again get good standing with your creditors.

Do It Yourself Credit Repair

How do you correct bad credit scores? It doesn’t help to panic. You just need to work to fix the problem. You can either hire a credit cleanup expert or you can do it yourself.

How can you clean up your credit and get a better credit score? First, get a copy of your credit report. Read it to find anything that is incorrect. If there are errors, send a letter to the credit agency with evidence that it’s incorrect. Often, they will make the necessary changes your credit report will get better.

If nothing is wrong with the report but you have a problem paying your creditors, call them and try to make arrangements. They will often cooperate with you, because they would rather get something each month rather than nothing.
They know that even if they take the matter to court and win, they still may not be able to collect on the judgment.

Make sure that any agreement you make with them is in writing, so you have evidence of the agreement, in case there are any problems in the future. Then, just make sure you keep your part of the agreement.

One good place to start improvement is to create a budget in order to save more money to pay what you agreed to. You will have to cut your expenses and not eat out as much. Your income should be used just for essentials like bills, gas and groceries.

Either stop using your credit card or use it to pay needed expenses and pay it off at the end of the month to avoid interest. Otherwise, pay with cash. If you have to use your credit card, pay off recent expenses at the end of the month, and pay down previous amounts owed, so the money you already owe goes down.

If you have more than 4 credit cards, consider cutting them down to only two. The ones you consider cutting out are the ones that have high interest rates and that are less than 6 months old.

While you are paying off your debt, it’s a good idea to get a secured credit card to build your credit history. This type of card is differnt because you put funds in the bank in advance, and the money is just deducted every time you pay with the card.

Banks won’t give you a loan, if you need cash, so you might join a credit union if you need help.

If you stick to it and work at it, you should get a good credit rating in a few months or years. Remember, your payment history has the biggest impact on your credit score.

Credit repair, which is paying what you owe gradually, is better than filing for bankruptcy, because a bankruptcy will be on your credit report for 10 years. Why ruin your credit for 10 years, when you can just work to change it now. You just need will power and guts to face your credit problem head on.

Remember, you put yourself in this situation and it’s not that hard to dig yourself out.