If you have been struggling with your credit repayments for a while you might start thinking about options to consolidate credit card debt and sort out your finances. The main aim here would be to reduce your monthly payments and also the time it takes you to clear the balance of your credit card.
There are some proven ways to consolidate credit card debt but today I would like to tell you about the pitfalls to avoid before you start looking for consolidation options to make sure you are not tying yourself up for a long time and not ruining your credit rating.
There is an obvious solution many people consider and maybe you have been offered this at some point: to consolidate credit card debt with a zero percent credit card deal that lasts for about 12-18 months the maximum. There is a common misconception about these products: That is not going to reduce your balance at all. It is just stopping the interest being applied on your balance for a period of time.
Your credit card balance is not just going to disappear if you are using a zero percent balance transfer and you still have to make the monthly repayments that are in your contract. It is going to be a fixed amount or a percentage of your balance, and you still have to make sure you make these payments in time.
The other misconception about zero percent balance transfers is that they solve your bad credit problems for a long time. It is not the case. You might end up paying a higher interest rate or an annual fee on your new card after the interest free period has elapsed and your deal has ended. So the only way you can use this option is if you are certain that you can meet your repayments and not incur extra charges.
It is easy to start spending on a zero percent credit card, much easier than on the one we know we have to pay the interest on next month. But this is actually the biggest catch of the financial world and should be avoided by everyone who is serious about consolidating bad credit. If you took on this card to pay off your balance earlier, do not go out there and start using the card, just make the repayments in time and budget in order to pay off as much of the balance as possible before the higher interest kicks in.
So if you are ready consolidate credit card debt you need to set up a careful budget to make sure you will achieve your goals in a short period of time and make the most out of the interest free period. But before you start shopping around, you will need careful planing to make sure you will not end up with an even higher debt in the end.
There are some proven ways to consolidate credit card debt but today I would like to tell you about the pitfalls to avoid before you start looking for consolidation options to make sure you are not tying yourself up for a long time and not ruining your credit rating.
There is an obvious solution many people consider and maybe you have been offered this at some point: to consolidate credit card debt with a zero percent credit card deal that lasts for about 12-18 months the maximum. There is a common misconception about these products: That is not going to reduce your balance at all. It is just stopping the interest being applied on your balance for a period of time.
Your credit card balance is not just going to disappear if you are using a zero percent balance transfer and you still have to make the monthly repayments that are in your contract. It is going to be a fixed amount or a percentage of your balance, and you still have to make sure you make these payments in time.
The other misconception about zero percent balance transfers is that they solve your bad credit problems for a long time. It is not the case. You might end up paying a higher interest rate or an annual fee on your new card after the interest free period has elapsed and your deal has ended. So the only way you can use this option is if you are certain that you can meet your repayments and not incur extra charges.
It is easy to start spending on a zero percent credit card, much easier than on the one we know we have to pay the interest on next month. But this is actually the biggest catch of the financial world and should be avoided by everyone who is serious about consolidating bad credit. If you took on this card to pay off your balance earlier, do not go out there and start using the card, just make the repayments in time and budget in order to pay off as much of the balance as possible before the higher interest kicks in.
So if you are ready consolidate credit card debt you need to set up a careful budget to make sure you will achieve your goals in a short period of time and make the most out of the interest free period. But before you start shopping around, you will need careful planing to make sure you will not end up with an even higher debt in the end.