It was only a matter of time before the number of people experiencing credit card debt would increase; cards have become easier to obtain and more tempting to use, which is a lethal combination. The swipe and spend culture has created massive problems and people are now realizing just how foolish they have been just spending indiscriminately. Once this point has been reached then it only remains for some form of relief from the credit card debt to be arranged.
At this point it is important to start as you mean to go on and stop all spending on the card otherwise it will make arranging a debt relief plan much harder to implement. Making the decision can be the hardest part but no-one said credit card debt relief would be easy. There are various debt consolidation alternatives available but the three most common options are detailed below.
The easiest method of debt consolidation is where the person still has a good credit rating and uses another credit card that has a low rate of interest where all the debts can be transferred to one card. Another method is to arrange a consolidation loan to relieve the debt, then paying just one amount which is easier and within a budget.
This option does require a certain level of commitment on the debtor's part as once the debts are clear there must be no temptation to use them again. Debt consolidation does require that the debtor is still able to access credit and that they will have sufficient funds to repay the loan.
If credit card debt relief is not available then negotiation remains and this is preferably left to a debt relief company that can deal with the card companies directly and negotiate payment conditions. They will normally suggest a sum of around half the debt be paid off with the remaining amount canceled by the creditors.
If all else fails the debtor is left with bankruptcy to clear the debts but this is not something that should ever be looked upon as the first course of action as there are serious consequences to be considered. The debts may be clear but they will find it hard to get any form of credit for a long time and will have to rebuild their credit history from scratch although it does enable them to have a fresh start. Credit card debt relief should not be something you ever repeat because it will mean you haven't learnt anything from your experience.
