If you are receiving unsolicited phone calls from an entity pretending to be ACCC (a trusted non-profit credit counseling agency), please be assured that ACCC’s policy is NEVER to contact you unless you’ve explicitly requested us to call you. Also be cautious of emails from an unusual or unfamiliar domain. ACCC’s domain extension is @consumercredit.com, and any emails using a different extension should be treated with suspicion.

×

ACCC’s Client Login allows current clients to access their program information, including the due date, program benefits, and other documents.

Select a Client Login below based on the service that you are currently enrolled in:

Debt Management Program

Client Login

Bankruptcy

Pre-Bankruptcy Client

Post-Bankruptcy Client

Not yet a client, but looking to get started?

ACCC offers debt relief options to individuals and families that are suffering from stress related to credit card debt by providing effective credit counseling, helping to consolidate debt, and advising on debt management.

Get Started

Wait!

You are now leaving the Consumer Credit website and are going to a website that is not operated by ACCC. We are not responsible for the content or availability of linked sites.

Are you sure you want to leave?

No, return me to the previous page.

Yes

Resources & Tools

How To Use Credit Wisely

Credit card debt can spiral out of control.  Here are some ways to protect yourself from getting in over your head.

1. Do not use credit cards to finance an unaffordable lifestyle.

If you are constantly using credit cards and are unable to pay the resulting bill each month, then consider whether you are using your cards to make an unreasonable budget work.

2. Avoid using credit cards if you’re already in financial trouble.

Finance charges and other fees will add to your debt burden.  However, using your credit card in a time of financial difficulty is better than taking out a home equity loan, where your home is put on the line.

3. Don’t get hooked on minimum payments.

Some credit card issuers have set their minimum payments as low as 2% of the balance.  Others may set it to 4%.  If you pay only the minimum, it will take a long time to pay off your debt.  For example, if you owe $5,000.00 on an account with 18% APR, making 2% payments will take over 44 years to pay off.  Also, you will have paid $12,431.00 in interest.

4. Don’t run up the balance in reliance on a temporary “teaser” interest rate.

Money borrowed during a temporary or promotional rate is likely to be paid back at a much higher permanent rate.

5. Make your credit card payments on time.

Avoid late payment charges and penalty rates if you can.  Bad problems get worse fast when you have late fees and higher rates to pay during financial difficulty.  It’s worth calling to ask for a fee to be waived if you were accidentally late, or have a good excuse.

6. Avoid the special services, programs, and goods that credit card lenders offer to bill to their cards.

Most of these extras – fraud protection plans, credit record protection, travel clubs, life insurance, etc – are often bad deals.

7. Beware of unsolicited increases to your credit limit.

Don’t assume that this means that your lender thinks you can afford more credit.  Lenders generally increase limits for consumers that they think will carry a bigger balance and pay more interest.

8. Don’t max out your cards.

It’s easy to get hit with over-limit fees.  Also, a credit card account close to its limit will cause a big drop in your credit score.  Be aware of whether or not your account allows you to spend over your limit, as this is optional.

creditU

Your Ultimate Money Management App

Meet CreditU, the ultimate one-stop debt and financial management app! See your full financial overview, including debts, income, expenses, and savings.

CreditU Apple App Store
Dev Tool:

Request: debt-resources-tools/credit/credit-education/how-to-use-credit-wisely
Matched Rewrite Rule: debt-resources-tools/([^/]+)/([^/]+)/([^/]+)/?$
Matched Rewrite Query: debt_resources_category=credit/credit-education&debt-resources=how-to-use-credit-wisely
Loaded Template: single-debt-resources.php