Sample issue

Hi there,

This issue's step: ask for a lower rate

Call the number on the back of your highest-rate card. Say you've been a customer for a while, you're working on paying down the balance, and you'd like to ask whether they can lower your interest rate. If the answer is no, ask whether they have a hardship program. Write down who you spoke to and what they said.

It doesn't always work, but it costs nothing to ask. More in Call your creditors: what to ask.

Find the money: the "raise rule"

Next time your pay goes up, send the whole difference to your target debt for the first few months, before you get used to having it.

Trap to avoid: the "government program" ad

Ads claiming a new government program will forgive your credit card debt are a common lure for debt settlement companies. There's no such program. See Debt settlement and debt relief: know the risks.

One payment at a time,
Nickel Keepers