In today’s economy, it’s easy to quickly accumulate large credit card debts. Using this mode of instant cash can be handy for people who want to keep track of their purchases and improve their credit ratings; however, paying off high-interest credit cards can be quite challenging. There are several solutions that may be of interest to Virginia residents who are having trouble ridding themselves of their credit card debts.
In addition to working harder to pay credit card bills, people can also try negotiating the debt with the card issuer. Credit card companies have the same goal as other businesses: to provide the public with a service or product while making a profit. Nevertheless, many credit card companies are willing to work with customers who default on their payments because they don’t want to experience a total loss or pursue costly legal actions against the customer.
Many credit card issuers will try to get these customers to make a one-time reduced payment, even if the company ends up with a loss. For those who are unable to pay off the debt in this way, the company may be willing to set up a customized payment plan that the customer can handle. Prior to such negotiations, it’s a good idea for credit card customers to carefully consider how much they can pay on their card debts and come up with realistic figures to present to the credit card companies. Customers can also politely ask the company’s collections department if they can pay a lump sum of half their debt or request lower interest rates.
Debt that becomes unmanageable can lead to overwhelming burdens, especially on families. For this reason, someone with crippling debt may want to get legal advice from an attorney who could explain benefits of a chapter 13 bankruptcy.
Source: US News, “Can You Really Negotiate Your Credit Card Debt?,” Gregory Go, July 27, 2016