How to Pay Off Credit Card Debt and Save Money

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Your credit card is a tool you can use to build or ruin your credit history and credit score. The outcome depends on your spending habits and other factors as every month passes.

When you overspend and accumulate debt on your card, you create a financially challenging situation for yourself. Your credit card company will charge you more interest on your card when you fail to pay your balance on time.

Yes, it can be frustrating to find yourself in credit card debt. Nevertheless, we bring you glad tidings by showing you how you can overcome this situation in this article. So, read on to know the various strategies and tips for paying off credit card debt without stress.

How to Pay Off Credit Cards

Credit card debt can be paid off in many ways. They include coming up with a set of strategies that help you repay the debt smoothly and following some professional tips or expert advice on credit card debt payoff. Do not worry about where to find them because we have them covered in this article.

Meanwhile, we strongly advise that you stop using the credit card that you wish to pay off. By doing so, you will be able to clear your debt more quickly since it will stop accumulating.

Strategies for Credit Card Debt Repayment

Here are the best strategies for tackling your credit card debt. Choose any combination of them that you think will work excellently based on your financial situation and budget.

Use a debt management plan

Is your credit in very bad shape? With assistance from a credit counselling agency, you may create a debt management plan to fix your financial situation.

A debt management plan is a repayment programme that can be a good strategy to avoid bankruptcy and debt settlement. The latter two can both severely hurt your credit score.

The duration of a debt management plan is usually three to five years. However, the term depends on how much you owe and your financial situation.

If you choose this strategy, your credit counsellor will inform your creditors that you are using a debt management plan and will normally attempt to bring down your interest rates and monthly payments; expect to pay a small fee for your credit counsellor's service. Your account might be closed by your card issuers upon finding out your situation. However, this will only slightly lower your score.

Get a balance transfer credit card

You can apply for a debt transfer credit card if your credit score is good. It often has a low or 0% APR for a predetermined length of time. Some issuers provide an interest-free term that lasts a year or more.

You do not pay interest on the balance you transfer from another credit card during the promotional period. However, the transfer charge is around 3% to 5% of the total.

The best way to avoid incurring interest fees is to settle the whole sum by the conclusion of the promotional term. Moreover, even if you cannot pay the entire sum by the due date, you could still save hundreds of dollars by making as much progress as you can each month.

Try a debt consolidation loan

A personal loan used to pay off credit card debt is referred to as a debt consolidation loan. However, before choosing this option, you must make sure it is within your means so that you can make the repayments on time.

Personal loans, as opposed to credit cards, are instalment loans with a repayment plan and a monthly payment amount that have been predetermined. By consolidating several monthly payments into one, debt consolidation loans can help you get a cheaper interest rate and streamline your repayment process.

Consider debt snowball

The debt snowball technique could be a better strategy if you have had issues with overspending and believe that getting a new loan or credit card to pay off existing balances will lead you to accrue even more debt. It is a way to prioritise your repayments, starting with the card with the lowest debt.

Here, the minimum payments on all of your cards are made each month, and any additional payments you may make are put toward the card with the lowest amount of debt. As soon as that card is paid off, you transfer the money you were using to pay off the previous credit card to the one with the next-lowest amount. You proceed in this manner with each card until they are all fully paid.

Debt avalanche is an option

The debt avalanche approach places a similar emphasis on eliminating debts one at a time as the debt snowball strategy does. The main distinction is that the avalanche technique encourages you to concentrate on paying down your debts with the card that has the highest interest rates or biggest debts first. It is another way to prioritise your repayments.

The logic behind this method is that paying off your most costly debt first could save you more money. However, the debt avalanche strategy is not a fast way to clear your debt because it may take time to clear the card with the highest APR.

8 Tips for Credit Card Debt Pay Off

While thinking about what strategy to use to pay off your debt, here are some tips to help you with the process.

#1. Create a budget

Creating a budget can help you pay off your credit card debt. It will draw your attention to your income and expenses, helping you reduce the amount you spend on things that are not really necessary. There are many apps you can use for personal budgeting if you do not find it easy to make one yourself.

#2. Stick to your budget

What is more important than creating a budget is sticking to it. Failure to follow your budget would mean that you wasted your time creating it in the first place.

This approach may be challenging if you are struggling to make ends meet. But even a little increase in monthly spending might have a significant impact over time. Make a budget as best you can and keep searching for ways to increase your earnings and savings in the future.

#3. Reduce your expenses

Think of ways you can reduce your regular bills and daily expenses. You can reduce the number of streaming services you subscribe to or look for a cheaper service provider for your bills.

Also, find ways to cut down on your consumption of electricity, gas, water, and other utilities. You might be surprised at the amount of money you will save in the process. For more tips on reducing your expenditure, see our post on how to save money during high inflation.

#4. Make extra cash

Cutting down on your expenses is a temporary measure since you do not intend to permanently change your lifestyle and spending habits. Hence, it is better to try a different approach, such as making extra cash.

There are many ways to get additional income. You can choose to work more hours at your place of work or apply for a raise, get a second job, turn a hobby into a small business, or sell some of your personal belongings that are no longer useful to you.

#5. Seek financial assistance

You could also think about looking for financial aid if your financial condition is poor. This might take the shape of support programmes from nonprofit organisations, government agencies, and state and local governments, such as food stamps, rent assistance, legal help, and other programmes.

#6. Pay above the minimum

The minimum payment on your credit card is the smallest amount you are required to pay monthly to ensure that your account remains in good standing. It takes significantly longer to pay off your credit card debt if you only pay the minimum balance. So, try to pay more than the minimum so that you will be charged less interest altogether.

#7. Pay one debt at a time

If you have debts on more than one credit card, trying to pay them all at once is quite a stressful task. It is better to pay the debt on the cards one at a time. When one debt is fully paid, you move to the next until all of them have been cleared. You can use the snowball or avalanche strategy explained above.

#8. Get credit counselling

The work that credit counselling agencies do goes well beyond merely establishing debt management strategies. A credit counsellor can assist you if you are struggling to understand your debt status. You can help in developing a budget, knowing the alternatives available to you, and a lot more. Many agencies offer this service for no cost or at a nominal price.

Should You Pay Off a Credit Card Debt in Full?

Yes, make a full payment on a credit card debt if you can afford it. In that way, you will pay much lower interest charges and save a lot of money for yourself. But if you cannot afford to pay in full, it is okay to pay gradually.

Essentially, it is your responsibility to figure out what you can afford to pay in respect of your credit card debt. A standard rule is to try to pay the minimum balance every month so that your credit card company will not charge you a fee.

If You Can Afford Only the Minimum Payment

A smart thing to do when you can afford to pay only the minimum balance for a long time is to try to get a cheaper deal that will come with a lower interest rate. Here, you can use the balance transfer strategy to move the debt to another credit card with 0% APR or a much lower interest rate.

Another thing you can do in this situation is to get a cheaper personal loan than your credit card. Make sure it is an unsecured loan. You can then use the money to continue to pay the minimum balance on your credit card.

You Can’t Afford the Minimum Payment?

If there is a temporary problem, such as losing your job or paying off other priority debts, which has made you unable to pay the minimum balance on your credit card, you should inform your card issuer. The company might be kind enough to pause your monthly payments and put you on a debt management plan that will allow you to repay the money in small amounts over a fixed period.

Are You Supposed to Close a Credit Card After Debt Payment?

Typically, the answer to whether you should close your credit card after clearing the debts on it is no! The account does not need to be closed.

While paying off the debts on your credit cards is good for your credit scores, closing such accounts will probably lower your ratings, at least temporarily. A lower credit score is something you should try to avoid.

How to Use Your Next Credit Responsibly

When you are done paying off your credit card debt, you need to learn how to make responsible use of your next credit. You can develop a good spending habit by practising the following:

Avoid overspending by creating and sticking to a budget.
Try to pay off your credit card balance in full every month.
Do all you can to ensure that you are not accumulating a high balance.
Use credit card rewards to your advantage as you spend daily.
Check your account statement to monitor your spending and ensure that you are not spending on any unnecessary items.
Try to check your credit score regularly so that you can know whether you are in good standing or if you need to make some improvements.

FAQ

What is the correct way to pay off a credit card?

The correct way to pay off your credit card debt is to tackle it head on. Quickly come up with a plan for repaying it and stick to it. You can start by creating a budget. Next, prioritise your debts, reduce your expenses, and work out a way to earn more money. Your goal should be to pay more than the minimum balance each month to reduce the interest.

How can I pay off my credit card faster?

There are many ways you can quickly pay off your credit card debt. They include but are not limited to the following:

Get a balance transfer credit card.
Use a personal loan to consolidate the debt.
Pay off the smallest balance or the highest-interest debt first.
Ask for a salary increase if you are overdue for it.
Get a side job.

Does paying off a credit card in full help your credit?

Yes, it does! When you pay off all your credit card debt, you lower your credit utilisation ratio and increase your credit score. This simple act accounts for about 30% of your credit score in the FICO rating system.

How much credit card debt is OK?

35% or less is considered a decent debt-to-income ratio on a credit card. If you are having trouble making more than the basic minimum payments on your credit cards, you probably have too much debt.

Does the 15/3 method work?

The 15/3 method does not work for everyone because people are in different financial situations.

What is the 15/3 hack? It is a technique for improving your credit score when you use two credit cards monthly and make payments on them. You send in two payments: one 15 days before your statement's due date and the other three days before it.

What’s the average credit card debt?

The average credit card debt varies across different age groups, and it is not the same worldwide.

For example, in the United States, the average credit card balance according to the Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances in 2022 is as follows:

Under 35 years old: $3,700.
Aged 35 to 44: $6,000.
Aged 45 to 54: $7,700.
Aged 55 to 64: $6,900.
Aged 65 to 74: $7,000.

Why is my credit score going down when I pay on time?

Your credit score can go down if you pay on time because of several factors: you may have a high credit utilisation ratio; you may have missed a payment; or there could be an identity mix-up problem. In any case, try to contact the appropriate agencies, starting with your credit card company.

What’s considered a high credit card balance?

Keeping your debt at or below 30% of your credit limit is more prudent if you want to raise and maintain a decent credit score. For a credit card with a €1,000 limit, for instance, this implies that your balance should never be more than €300.

What happens if you pay off your credit card early?

Paying off your credit card debt early lowers the balance that your credit card issuer reports to the credit agencies before the end of your billing cycle. This will lower your credit utilisation rate and likely increase your credit score.

Conclusion

If you use one or more credit cards, always do your best to pay off the balance(s) monthly. It will help you stay out of debt and reduce the likelihood of you having a poor credit score.

Whatever your debt balance may be, paying it off might seem like a difficult job. However, it will be easier to settle everything if you start moving in that direction as soon as possible.

Use the strategies and tips mentioned in this article; concentrate on the most suitable ones for your situation. In the end, we are sure you will be glad you did.