How to Get Out of Credit Card Debt

If you’re struggling with credit card debt, you’re not alone. There are several effective strategies to tackle credit card debt. Selecting the right approach can help you pay off your debt more quickly and reduce the amount you spend on interest.

Understanding credit card debt

Credit card debt typically accumulates interest whenever you do not pay off the entirety of your credit card’s statement balance on or before its due date each month. Even if you pay a large portion of that balance, the card will accumulate interest and the amount you owe will grow. Paying only the minimum amount due on your credit card balance will extend the time it takes to pay off your credit card debt more than paying a larger portion of the balance.

7 Effective strategies to pay off credit card debt

There’s more than one way to reduce and eliminate your credit card debt. Understanding the different strategies first may help guide you in choosing the right one for you. Whichever strategy you choose, make sure it will keep you motivated to stay on track in reducing your credit card debt.

1. Plan out a debt payoff schedule

The simplest strategy to start paying off credit card debt is to list the debts you owe and create a schedule for paying them off. Sometimes, organizing your debts on a schedule can be enough to see that paying them off is manageable over a reasonable period.

 Another benefit of creating a debt payoff schedule is that it can serve as a helpful foundation for other debt payment strategies. For some, simply seeing the total amount owed isn't enough, but having a structured plan allows you to combine it with additional debt solutions.

2. Try the debt snowball method

The debt snowball method can be a straightforward and effective strategy for paying off credit card debt. This method helps you build momentum as you eliminate your debts, making it easier to stay motivated and on track.

Here’s how it works:

1. List your debts: Start by listing all your debts from smallest to largest, regardless of interest rates. The focus is on the balance size, not the interest rate.
2. Make minimum payments: Continue to make the minimum payments on all your debts to avoid late fees and penalties.
3. Focus on the smallest debt: Any extra money you have each month should go towards paying off the smallest debt first. Once this debt is paid off, you can cross it off your list.
4. Move to the next debt: After eliminating the smallest debt, move on to the next smallest one, applying the same strategy. The money you were using to pay off the first debt now goes towards the second one, creating a snowball effect.
5. Gain momentum: The idea behind the debt snowball method is, as you continue to pay off each debt, you’ll gain a sense of accomplishment and motivation, making it easier to tackle the larger debts.

By the time you reach your larger debts, you’ll have more funds available each month to pay them down faster. The debt snowball method is particularly effective for those who appreciate seeing progress quickly. It can be a powerful way to stay motivated while you systematically eliminate your credit card debt.

3. Try the debt avalanche method

If high interest rates are making it difficult to pay down your debts, the debt avalanche method might be a better option than the debt snowball method. This strategy focuses on minimizing the total interest you pay over time.

Here’s how it works:

1. List your debts by interest rate: Start by listing all your debts, but this time, order them from the highest to the lowest interest rate.
2. Make minimum payments: Continue making the minimum payments on all your debts to avoid late fees and penalties.
3. Focus on the highest-interest debt: Direct any extra money toward paying off the debt with the highest interest rate first. This will reduce the amount of interest accruing overall and save you money in the long run.
4. Move to the next debt: Once the highest-interest rate debt is paid off, apply the same strategy to the next debt with the highest interest rate. Continue this process until all your debts are eliminated.
5. Save on interest: By targeting the debts with the highest interest rates first, the debt avalanche method helps you minimize the total amount of interest you pay over time, allowing you to pay off your debts more efficiently.

This method can be particularly effective for those who are concerned about the long-term costs of their debt and want to reduce the overall amount of interest they pay. Depending on the size of your high-interest rate debts, it may take longer to see progress compared to the debt snowball method, but the financial benefits can be substantial.

4. Consider Balance Transfer credit cards

You may be able to pause accumulating interest rates on your credit card debt with a Balance Transfer credit card. These credit cards come with a low introductory APR offer on Balance Transfers and allow you to move a balance from one card onto a new card.

The Citi^® Diamond Preferred^® Card is one example of a Balance Transfer credit card. This card may be a great option if you already have a debt payoff solution in place and want to use a Balance Transfer card to get a better handle on your interest rates. Another option is the Citi Simplicity^® Card.

5. Credit card consolidation loan

If you have multiple credit card balances that are hard to manage, consider using a credit card consolidation loan.

This allows you to combine your existing credit card debts into a single loan, ideally with a lower interest rate than any of the interest rates applied to those existing debts. By consolidating, you simplify your debt repayment by focusing on one loan instead of juggling several credit card balances.

6. Pay more than the minimum

Another simple solution to handling credit card debt is to pay higher than your minimum monthly payment on your credit card balances. One strategy is to steadily increase the amount you pay on your balances each month to try to reduce your debt at a faster rate.

This strategy is ideal if you have fewer credit cards but higher balances. While you'll still need to make your minimum payments, paying more than the minimum can help lower your debt faster and reduce the risk of it becoming unmanageable. Keep in mind that interest will continue to grow over time, so the sooner you pay down your debt, the better.

7. Review your spending

If you're focused on paying off credit card debt, don't overlook the importance of tightening your budget for added financial flexibility. By reviewing your daily and monthly spending, you can identify areas to cut back, freeing up extra money to pay down your credit card balances faster.

How to avoid future credit card debt

Once you’ve paid off your credit card debt, come up with a plan to keep your finances manageable in the future.  Whether that means more restrictive budgeting or paying off your balances faster, you’ll need to devise a plan going forward so that you can manage your debt properly.

If you continue to use credit cards, make sure to understand the terms. That way, you know when your minimum payments are due each month and the interest charges that can apply to transactions made with the cards.

Disclosure: This article is for educational purposes. It is not intended to provide legal, investment, or financial advice and is not a substitute for professional advice. It does not indicate the availability of any Citi product or service. For advice about your specific circumstances, you should consult a qualified professional.