Contributed by Julia Reese
Let's face it; it has become the American way to be saddled down with credit card debt to the point of needing help. And it is, sadly, easy to get into such a predicament. The average American household possesses $8,000 worth of credit card debt. Approximately 35 million people only make their minimum payment (usually equivalent to two percent of total balance) each month. At that rate, it will take years to pay the entire balance.
By that time, they will have paid multiple times over the cost of the items charged to the credit card. If they are even able to ever pay the entire balance -- some Americans have gotten themselves in so deep that they had to file bankruptcy, further damaging their credit. There are new programs available to those who really need help with their credit card debt; they are not loans, but instead, a means to consolidate the debts together.
You may be able to resolve your own debt problem by making a few changes such as paying more than the minimum payment each month or transferring your balance(s) to another credit card that has a lower interest rate. You can even attempt to negotiate your interest rate with your current credit card company. But if all attempts fail and prove to be too straining, there are several organizations that exist to assist those who need help with credit card debt.
These organizations allow you to consolidate your credit card debt and make one lower monthly payment. They are able to help you with your credit card debt in the aspect of working with your creditors to lower your interest rate. But be wary because there are credit repair scams out there.