After paying down around $20,000 in credit card debt, Shonnita Leslie cut up her cards to avoid sinking that deep into debt again. But she didn’t tackle her debt alone.
If you’re struggling with managing your credit card debt, her No. 1 piece of advice is to seek out a reputable credit counseling agency that specializes in debt management like she did.
“If you can’t do it by yourself, get help,” she tells CNBC Make It.
In order to clear her credit card debt, Leslie partnered with a financial wellness and debt counseling service. Since her debt was spread across multiple cards with various interest rates and minimum payments, the nonprofit organization consolidated her credit card debt into monthly payments of $250 and negotiated lower interest rates and minimum payments with her lenders on her behalf.
With that plan in place, Leslie was able to eliminate her credit card debt in six years.
“I just felt relieved when I was done,” she says.
If you’re having trouble getting a handle on your credit card debt and have a less than stellar credit score, you may want to consider using a credit counseling agency as well, said Ted Rossman, Bankrate’s senior industry analyst.
“If you have a lower credit score (below, say, 670) or a lower income or a lot of debt (more than five or six thousand dollars in credit card debt), or even if you just want a helping hand, this might be your best option,” he told CNBC Make It in an email.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by credit card debt, you have other options as well. Here are three to consider.
1. Balance transfer credit card
A balance transfer card allows you to move some or all of your outstanding debts onto a single card with a 0% interest rate for a given period of time, typically up to 21 months. Interest charges aren’t added to your balance during that time, so the grace period can help you pay down your credit card debt faster since your payments go directly toward your principal balance.
“Used properly, one of these cards could save you hundreds, or maybe even thousands, of dollars in interest,” Rossman said.
2. Snowball method
With the snowball method, you make the minimum payment on of your accounts, then use any extra money to chip away at your smallest balance first. Once you’ve eliminated the smallest balance, move on to the second-smallest one, and so on, regardless of interest rate.
This method helps you gain a series of wins in the beginning, which can be a powerful motivator to continue chipping away at your debt.
3. Avalanche method
On the other hand, the avalanche method prioritizes paying down the credit card with the highest interest rate first. While you’ll continue to pay the minimum across all of your cards, any money you have left is put toward reducing the balance on your card with the costliest APR. After that’s paid off, begin putting money toward the card with the next-highest interest rate until you’ve paid off your debt.
The idea here is that you’ll save on costly interest charges by getting the highest APRs out of the way first.
Remember, tackling credit card debt is often easier said than done. The key is to approach it with a plan.
“There’s no one-size-fits-all answer for which one is best,” Matt Schulz, chief credit analyst at LendingTree, told CNBC Make It. “Ultimately, the best approach for you is the one that will keep you motivated until the end.”
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