How to cut your credit card debt before the holidays

Americans collectively owed a shocking $1.14 trillion in credit card debt. 

Unfortunately, despite rising delinquency rates — and the fact that credit card interest is very expensive with average rates of 23.37% — many people are at risk of adding to their debt burden as they enter an expensive time of the year. 

“It’s important to get a handle on your credit card debt before the holidays,” advises David Peters, a CPA and the founder and owner of Peters Tax Preparation & Consulting. “If you are already carrying a balance, try to pay it down before we get into the busy shopping season.”

With limited time left before holiday spending surges, it’s important to explore debt relief options now if you don’t want to go into the new year burdened with a large loan balance. Fortunately, there are solutions to help you get a handle on your debt before the festive season arrives. 

Start exploring your credit card debt relief options online today.

How to cut your credit card debt before the holidays

Every credit card user’s financial situation is different and, therefore, their potential relief options are likely to vary as well. That noted, here are three potential ways users can start cutting their credit card debt now:

Credit card debt forgiveness

Credit card debt forgiveness is one possible solution if you’re in over your head. The best debt relief companies can help you negotiate with credit card companies to pay less than you owe on your balance and have some debt wiped away. 

Card companies are most likely to offer forgiveness options if you have a large amount of debt and they’re worried about you being unable to pay at all. This process may hurt your credit score but can be a good solution if your balance is so large that paying it would be a serious hardship.

When you’re pursuing debt forgiveness, you’ll typically stop making credit card payments and redirect that money to the debt relief company. The company will negotiate with your creditors to convince them to allow you to make a lump sum payment for less than the total you owe. The debt relief company will then use the money you’ve sent them to make that lump sum payment.

Check your credit card debt forgiveness eligibility here.

Debt management programs

Debt management programs are another option, and they may have less of an adverse impact on your credit score than credit card debt forgiveness.

Typically, these programs involve getting personalized counseling to help you determine how much you can afford to pay your creditors each month. The debt management company will negotiate with your creditors to reduce your interest rate or take other steps to make monthly payments affordable. Your debt won’t be wiped away, but it will become easier to pay back. 

Once you have a deal with your card issuer, you’ll make your payments to your debt management company, which will pay your cards according to the agreement you’ve negotiated.

Debt consolidation loans

Finally, debt consolidation is another solution that has the least negative impact on your credit. There are several ways to do it. 

“Consolidating several credit cards into one lower-interest card via a balance transfer can help,” advises Rick Miller, financial planner and investment advisor at Miller Investment Management. Balance transfers involve paying off existing debt with a new card at a lower rate. 

“Use zero or low percentage interest offers to pay down other cards,” advises Jeffrey Wood, CPA, CFP, and partner at Elysium Financial in South Jordan, Utah. “You can transfer debts from one higher interest card to another lower interest card, often with a zero-percentage introductory period so you can really focus on reducing or eliminating that debt.”

Peters agreed this could be a good option, although he warns it can come at a cost. “Balance transfers can help save you some money on interest. However, be careful to pay attention to balance transfer fees,” he advises.

It’s also worth noting that this option requires you to qualify for a balance transfer offer, which isn’t always possible if you’ve missed payments. 

Debt consolidation loans that are offered as part of debt consolidation programs may be easier to obtain and can sometimes offer you a longer payback period so they’re more affordable. If you’re participating in a debt consolidation program, you’ll also get added support in getting a handle on your debt.

The bottom line

Ultimately, the right option will depend on the specifics of your situation. The key, though, is to explore all your options to find the right approach given your goals and ability to pay. 

Of course, you’ll also want to avoid digging into a deeper hole. As Elizabeth Pennington, CFP and financial planner at Fearless Finance advises, “if you haven’t been saving up cash for holiday purchases, scale back your gift-giving plans.”