There are very few times when taking out more debt to pay off credit card debt makes sense. Using a personal loan to pay off your credit card debt is only moving the money around. The debt is still there. However, it might just be a pile of debt with better terms for you and your family. These are three times it might make sense to pay off credit card debt with a personal loan. If you want more help in your loan repayment process, consider seeking a consultation with a trusted financial expert. SmartAsset’s financial advisor matching tool can pair you up with a professional who can provide guidance that suits your specific needs.
1. To Lower Your Interest Rates
The most important aspect of a debt consolidation loan is to lower the annual interest rate of your debts. Often, a personal loan can be the perfect instrument for you to lower the annual interest rates of your debt. You should not consider a personal loan to consolidate your credit card debts if it does not lower the annual interest rate you are already paying. Paying a lower interest rate will allow you to pay off more principal each month, help you get out of debt faster, and lower the total cost of your debt.
2. To Consolidate Payments Into One
Consolidating several credit card payments into one personal loan is a great achievement. Having one loan payment allows you to focus all of your time, attention, and energy into that one payment. It is much easier to concentrate on and pay off one debt instead of having several smaller debts that always seem to nip at your heels.
Of course, you must also strive to not rack up your credit card balances after consolidating your credit card debt with a personal loan. It will not do you much good to focus on one large debt if you begin accumulating smaller balances again on your credit cards. You have to avoid playing a shell game with your debts, and you will need to address the underlying, fundamental reason why you are in debt. Do you have a spending problem? Do you not stick to your family’s monthly budget? You have to address these issues in order to get out of debt and stay out of debt.
3. To Lower Your Monthly Payments
Using a personal loan to consolidate your debts can also lower your total monthly payments for the debts that you owe. You will have to run the numbers, but often you will find that your monthly minimum payment for your one personal loan that consolidated your debt is lower than the total of all your separate credit card minimum monthly payments.
Lowering your monthly payments can help you create a debt snowball and assist you in paying off your credit card and now personal loan debt faster. For example, if you were originally paying $500 per month in minimum payments to the credit card companies and now found yourself paying only $400 per month on your new personal loan, you can afford to apply the other $100 per month directly to your loan’s principal. This strategy will help you get out of debt faster.
The Bottom Line
If you are not saving money by restructuring your credit card debts using a personal loan, either by cutting down your monthly payments or lowering your interest rates, it is probably not a good idea to restructure your debt. Make moving your debt around worthwhile to you. Insist on a lower interest rate for your debt, lower your monthly payment so you can pay off your debt faster and take back control over your finances with one lower monthly payment.
Credit Card Tips
- If you want more help with this decision and others relating to your financial health, you might want to consider hiring a financial advisor. Finding the right financial advisor that fits your needs doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with top financial advisors who serve your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.
- Setting yourself a budget can help you avoid getting into credit card debt in the first place. You won’t spend exxcessively on your credit card if you take the time to make sure that your spending habits fit your income and plan what you spend on all sorts of categories. Use SmartAsset’s free budget calculator to set up a budget, and then make sure you stick with it.
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