Think twice about a credit card consolidation loan.
When you’re carrying high credit card balances, a credit card consolidation loan may seem like a very attractive option for reducing credit card debt. But it’s important to do your homework before signing the credit card consolidation loan papers. Sometimes this kind of consolidation loan can be effective, but other times you may wind up paying more to retire your debt than you would have originally. That’s because the for-profit companies offering you a credit card consolidation loan have to make money off the arrangement – and that may come add additional cost to you.
For helpful advice before taking out a credit card consolidation loan, consult with the financial professionals at American Consumer Credit Counseling (ACCC), a non-profit debt management center dedicated to helping consumers with questions about debt.
Get free financial advice about your credit card consolidation loan.
At ACCC, our mission is to help people just like you figure out the best way to eliminate or lower credit card debt, and how to avoid debt in the future. Our credit counseling services are free, and we provide low-cost debt management services that can help you find your way out of debt more quickly. We also offer free educational resources on our website, where you can learn more about things like budgeting, saving for retirement, managing money, and the relationship between credit card debt and bankruptcy.
Our counselors are available six days each week via phone, or in person. In your free credit counseling session, we’ll analyze your finances to get a clear picture of your situation, and then discuss all the pros and cons of various options like debt settlement or debt consolidation vs chapter 13 bankruptcy. Our counselors will help you understand how a credit card consolidation loan can either help you pay off debt faster – or leave you more deeply in debt. And we’ll work with you to find the best plan for paying off debt, based on your needs and goals.
Alternatives to a credit card consolidation loan.
When it comes to debt resolution, one highly effective alternative to a credit card consolidation loan is a debt management program. At ACCC, our debt management program involves consolidation of all of your monthly payments to credit card companies into a single payment to us, and we pay each of your creditors for you. This not only simplifies your life financially, but helps to make sure you’re paying your credit card bills on time each month. And it allows us to seek reductions in interest rates and finance charges on your behalf, helping to reduce the amount you owe so you can pay it off faster.
