Trapped In Credit Card Debt? Counseling Could Be The Answer. Word Count: 569 Summary: It is important to understand right in the beginning that credit card spending is the most common cause of debt. This is mainly because credit cards offer you convenience while spending your money. However, the negative side of credit cards is that they charge you an interest rate which is very high. Moreover, right from the moment you use your credit card, the interest meter starts running. It is similar to sitting on a potential debt time bomb which is waiting to explode, a... Keywords: credit counseling, credit consolidation, credit loan Article Body: It is important to understand right in the beginning that credit card spending is the most common cause of debt. This is mainly because credit cards offer you convenience while spending your money. However, the negative side of credit cards is that they charge you an interest rate which is very high. Moreover, right from the moment you use your credit card, the interest meter starts running. It is similar to sitting on a potential debt time bomb which is waiting to explode, as soon as you miss your credit card payment. Defusing this crisis is only possible by either following a strict financial discipline or avail the services of credit card counseling centers. Most people believe that they can pay their credit card firm only on monthly basis. However, the fact is that you can pay them as often as possible. So go ahead and pay your credit card company on regular intervals. We recommend that you pay them on weekly basis. Paying every week means that you pay a lesser interest rate and this is because, every time you pay the remaining balance is reduced. Also, small payments on weekly basis are easier to make as compared to bigger monthly payments. The above approach will help you manage your credit card payments in a better manner. However if you find yourself in a serious problem due to your credit card debt, we advise that you consider approaching Credit Card Counseling Centers for guidance. These organizations include Consumer Counseling Centre of America (CCCA) which are non-profit organizations and have their presence all over the country. These centers assist consumers in getting out of debts which are unsecured in nature like credit card debt, personal and medical loans. You should not confuse CCCA with a consolidation loan agency. The major difference between the two is that while a consolidation loan agency gives you a loan CCCA does debt consolidation and negotiation of interest rates for you with your credit card company. CCCA works for you by receiving a consolidated monthly payment from you. Then, it uses that amount to pay off the creditors to whom you owe the money. You will find that availing the services of counseling centers like CCCA helps you gain your peace of mind. This is because of three main reasons, firstly, the creditors are no longer harassing you, secondly, your accounts are being updated regularly and thirdly your payment is current. On top of this, since someone else is managing your payment schedules and logistics, no payment is missed and no late fees or delinquency charges are imposed on you. It is natural for people to feel disappointed when their application for a debt consolidation loan is not approved by banks. At the same time it is important that they accept the fact that a credit card debt is a loan which is unsecured in nature. Since an unsecured loan like credit card debt is not attached to any collateral, most of these banks will ask you for a mortgage. For example they may ask for your house to be mortgaged. We do not advise this as in case of a default on payment, the bank has the right to auction that asset. So, the best way to get out of a financial crisis like credit card debt, you will require a lot of self discipline and a little assistance from a counseling service.