Credit Card Debt Negotiation - Negotiating Debt Settlement

For better or worse, nearly everyone has some sort of credit card debt. If you are one of the consumer debtors, credit card debt negotiation can offer you a way out. Though this will hurt your credit rating, it is a far better option than not paying at all or declaring bankruptcy.

One way of getting out from under all of your credit card debt is through credit card debt negotiation. In this process, you can contact your debtor and get them to settle your debt for a fraction of what you owe.

Though this will hurt your credit rating, it is a far better option than not paying at all or declaring bankruptcy. Those two options will make it very hard for you to get decent rates on future loans and even make it hard for you to get a loan.

Credit card debt negotiation is not an easy process, especially if you do it yourself. For that reason, this article tries to covers its possibility, whether to use a professional or to do it yourself and how the process works if you negotiate it on your own.

Is It Possible?

Yes, it is. Credit card companies want to negotiate debt settlement with you. In fact, one effective way of getting out from under all of that debt is through debt negotiation.

The truth is, credit card companies would rather have you pay SOMETHING and sever the relationship, rather than keep your debt with them, dragging things out with no intention of paying. They don’t want to pay collection agencies to track you down; they would rather just cut their losses.

In this process, you can contact your creditor and get them to settle your debt for a fraction of what you owe. Though this will hurt your credit rating, it is a far better option than not paying at all or declaring bankruptcy. Those two options will make it very hard for you to get decent rates on future loans and even make it hard for you to get a loan period.

Hire a Debt Negotiation Service or Do It Yourself?

Many times it can help to employ the services of a debt settlement company through a debt negotiation program. A reputable debt settlement company can negotiate with your creditors, on your behalf, to lower your total debt as an exchange of a lump sum debt payment.

Depending on your situation, however, sometimes you can negotiate with creditors yourself and find positive solutions. If the debt negotiation is successful, it will save you not only money due to reduction in APR but also the hassle that is associated with looking for a new credit card to transfer balance.

What if you don’t want to enter into such a negotiation situation? Think again! Instead of thinking of uncertainty feeling because of rejections that you might face think about how long it will take you to pay that debt off. You will want to do it when you focus on the benefits you’ll get if you succeed negotiating debt settlement with your creditors.

Do It Yourself Credit Card Debt Negotiation Process

Credit card debt negotiation is a very delicate process, involving a bit of give and take from both sides. You don’t have the money to continue making payments over the long term, but the credit card company wants their money back.

The first thing that you need to do is find a proper mailing address for your credit card company to send all correspondence to. Don’t use the address on your bill, as that is for payment only. Once you have an address that is where you should send all correspondence regarding your negotiations.

Make sure you use registered mail with receipt. This paper trail forces the creditor to honor anything you can verify with mail, as opposed to phone calls, which mean nothing in court, should it come to that.

Your lender may try to verbally bully you, but don’t fall for any of the old tricks. Just stay calm and simply express your desire to settle your debt, no more, no less. Conduct yourself with professionalism and don’t include reasons why you want to settle during credit card debt negotiation as that will likely get you denied.

In the end, you simply need to realize that although you got yourself in this situation for whatever reason, there is a way out. Systems have been put in place for situations such as yours; you just need to avail yourself of them. Regardless, it doesn’t hurt to call up your credit card company and ask, just make sure you follow up that call with registered mail.

Get more credit card debt negotiation tips to help you in getting out of your credit card debt at http://www.DebtFirms.com. Plus you can learn many great ways to reduce and eliminate your debt.

By Paul Sarwana

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The Pros And Cons Of Credit Card Debt Settlement

Are you a self-confessed shopaholic who buys anything and everything that you get your shopping addicted hands on? Such thoughtless and impulsive buying will most likely result in the accumulation of a bunch of junk that will simply collect dust. Can you even remember that silk scarf you just had to have and since it was a virtual steal at 50% off you just had to buy it? Where is it now and how many times have you actually worn it? Is it still fashionable?

If you’re like most people, chances are you’ll have to rummage through bins and bins of collected shopping "litter" which you’ve accumulated through the years, just to be able to see that once precious scarf. You may still be in a state of denial by saying "Fashion goes round and round and that scarf will have its shining moment once again."

Unfortunately, many people fall into this mode of impulsive buying that they really can’t afford and before they realize it they become saddled with debt. If you fall into this category, you’ll soon need to learn a thing or two about debt settlement which can assist you in extracting yourself out of that self-imposed state of financial trauma and begin to start rebuilding your life bit by bit. And the time to start is now! Of course, you have to be honest with yourself, admit that you’ve got a serious debt problem and then humble yourself enough to seek the help you need to pull yourself out of this devastating ordeal.

First things first, a lot of people may actually think that they only have a few choices when it comes to solving their debt problems. The two most common options for those who are burdened with enormous amounts of debt are either to consider declaring bankruptcy or debt consolidation Unfortunately, if you take the easy way out by declaring bankruptcy, it will leave an embarrassing and indelible mark on your credit report for up to 7 years, which will result in higher interest rates, less credit and if you try do qualify for a mortgage (some lenders do give loans immediately after bankruptcy) you will most likely not be able to get a loan to cover 100% of the financing you need. Normally, an 80% first mortgage and if you can get a second mortgage, it will be at much higher interest rate and probably only 10% of the loan value for a total of 90% of the loan to value and you’ll have to come up with 10% down.

Clearly, everything will come with a higher price for a period of time but you’ll have to weigh that with a straight debt consolidation solution in which you pay off your debt. However, in many cases you can negotiate with the collection agency and it’s realistic to get 25% - 50% of the debt forgiven, if you can show that you’ll continue to make monthly payments until the remainder is paid off.

Many of the debt settlement / debt consolidation companies were actually established by the credit card companies themselves. Why, you ask… because it only makes sense for the credit card companies to help you pay off your debt because they can either forgive some of the debt or reduce the interest rates, lower the monthly minimum payment requirements or some combination and get paid a portion of the money owed or receive nothing if you declare bankruptcy. What would you do if you were in their shoes? The answer is obvious. This is why a lot of people who have been saddled with debt are now being offered debt settlement. Of course, not all debt consolidation service companies are owned by credit card companies but many are.

Some groups offer debt settlement programs through arbitration. The "selling point" when it comes to these kinds of solutions is that debt settlement will actually help end your debt problems, without having to go through declaring bankruptcy, without having to pay overcharged debt consolidation program fees as well as helping you avoid getting caught in the debt consolidation trap that a lot of people have fallen victim to.

In many cases, what the organizations do that offer debt settlement services is negotiate your debt down with the collection agencies that have been given your case. I would encourage you to contact a number of companies to ensure you feel comfortable and that you are working with a quality company that doesn’t over-charge you for their services.

On the other hand, if you would really like to save money, which only makes sense since you are already heavily in debt… then negotiate with the collection agency yourself. It’s not difficult, rather than getting upset when you get called night after night simply tell the collection agency rep that you would like to pay off your debt but you can only do it if you can get it reduced and then ask them that you would like to get the debt you owe reduced by 50% - 60%, even 75% and ask them to see what they can do. Ask for a lot up front because as in any negotiation there’s always a give and take. Believe me, they will go to work for you and your offer will be seriously considered because they only get paid when they collect and it’s better to get their percentage on a smaller amount than "diddly squat" on the full amount.

Of course, you’ll have to decide what route you want to take… bankruptcy versus debt settlement but shop around and realize that you do have options. The internet is full of companies offering their bankruptcy or debt settlement services, but be careful and don’t let them push you around and never work with anyone you don’t feel 100 percent comfortable with.

By: Kevin Erickson

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Kevin Erickson is a contributing writer to the following websites: www.aneyeondebt.com/ and www.debtmergeresources.com/. This article may be reproduced only in its entirety.

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