If You Have More Than $10K in Debt, Make These 5 Moves (2024)

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You’re ready to be out of debt. Sounds like the understatement of the century, right? You can’t wait to be debt-free. But you feel like you’ve tried everything. And everywhere you turn, your debt is still there — impacting just about every area of your life.

But we’ve got a bunch of strategies you probably didn’t realize you could use to help you pay it off.

1. Freeze Your Credit Cards

If You Have More Than $10K in Debt, Make These 5 Moves (1)

You’ve heard the whole “freeze your credit” advice. We agree: It’s a smart practice. But in order to save money, freeze your credit cards.

Literally — in the freezer they’ll go.

Sure, it sounds extreme, but if you tend to make impulsive credit card purchases, stick your card in a Ziploc bag, submerge it in a canister of water and slide it into the freezer. When you’re tempted to spend, you’ll have to wait for the card to thaw, requiring you to think through your spending decision.

2.Ask This Website To Help Pay Your Credit Card Bill This Month

No, like… the whole bill. All of it.

While you’re stressing out over your debt, your credit card company is getting rich off those insane interest rates. But a website called Fiona could help you pay off that bill as soon as tomorrow.

Here’s how it works: Fiona can match you with a low-interest loan you can use to pay off every credit card balance you have. The benefit? You’re left with just one bill to pay every month, and because the interest rate is so much lower, you can get out of debt so much faster. Plus, no credit card payment this month.

If your credit score is at least 620, Fiona can help you borrow up to $100,000 (no collateral needed) with fixed rates starting at 4.99%.

Fiona won’t make you stand in line or call a bank. And if you’re worried you won’t qualify, it’s free to check online. It takes just two minutes, and it could save you thousands of dollars. Totally worth it.

All that credit card debt — and the anxiety that comes with it — could be gone by tomorrow.

3. Pay Off Your Debt by Playing Bingo

Wouldn’t it be nice to make an extra credit card payment this week?

Get this — there’s afreeapp calledBingo Cashthat pays you up to $80 when you win bingo.

The game is based on a classic Bingo format — plus tons of variations on the game. You’ll battle it out against other players at your same skill level. Everyone gets the same board and sees the same Bingo balls, so winning is totally a matter of skill. The top three players in a game can win real money — anywhere from $1 to $80.

Over on the App Store, it has a 4.7-star rating (out of 5).To get started, justdownload the free appand start playing your first game immediately.

4. Cancel Your Car Insurance

Here’s the thing: your current car insurance company is probably overcharging you. But don’t waste your time hopping around to different insurance companies looking for a better deal.

Use a website called EverQuote to see all your options at once.

EverQuote is the largest online marketplace for insurance in the US, so you’ll get the top options from more than 175 different carriers handed right to you.

Take a couple of minutes to answer some questions about yourself and your driving record. With this information, EverQuote will be able to give you the top recommendations for car insurance. In just a few minutes, you could save up to $610 a year.

5.This Research Company Will Pay You up to $225/Month to Watch Videos

What if we told you a research company would pay you to watch cooking videos on your computer?

It’s too good to be true, right?

But we’re serious.InboxDollarswill pay you to watch short video clips online. One minute you might watch someone bake brownies and the next you might get the latest updates on Kardashian drama.

All you have to do is choose which videos you want to watch and answer a few quick questions about them afterward.

No, InboxDollars won’t replace your full-time job, but it’s something easy you can do while you’re already on the couch tonight wasting time on your phone. Plus, it’s extra money you can put toward paying down your debt. Everything helps.

InboxDollars won’t completely pay off your credit cards, but it’s possible to earn up to $225 per month watching these videos.

It’s already paid its users more than $56 million.

It takes about one minute to sign up, and you’ll immediatelyget a $5 bonusto get you started.

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If You Have More Than $10K in Debt, Make These 5 Moves (2024)

FAQs

How can I pay off $10,000 in debt quickly? ›

There are a few different options you have when you want to pay off $10,000 in credit card debt, including:
  1. Opt for debt relief. ...
  2. Use the snowball or avalanche method. ...
  3. Find ways to increase your income. ...
  4. Cut unnecessary expenses. ...
  5. Seek credit counseling. ...
  6. Use financial windfalls.
Feb 15, 2024

How long does it take to pay off the $10000 debt by only making the minimum payment? ›

1% of the balance plus interest: It would take 29.5 years or 354 months to pay off $10,000 in credit card debt making only minimum payments. You would pay a total of $19,332.21 in interest over that period.

Is $10k in credit card debt bad? ›

Having any credit card debt can be stressful, but $10,000 in credit card debt is a different level of stress. The average credit card interest rate is over 20%, so interest charges alone will take up a large chunk of your payments. On $10,000 in balances, you could end up paying over $2,000 per year in interest.

How to pay off $20,000 in debt? ›

If you have $20,000 in credit card debt that you need to pay off in three years or less, you have multiple options to consider, including:
  1. Take advantage of a debt relief service.
  2. Consolidate your debt with a home equity loan.
  3. Take advantage of 0% balance transfer credit cards.
Feb 15, 2024

What is the fastest way to get out of big debt? ›

How to get out of debt
  1. List out your debt details.
  2. Adjust your budget.
  3. Try the debt snowball or avalanche method.
  4. Submit more than the minimum payment.
  5. Cut down interest by making biweekly payments.
  6. Attempt to negotiate and settle for less than you owe.
  7. Consider consolidating and refinancing your debt.
Mar 18, 2024

How to pay off $9,000 in debt fast? ›

To pay off $9,000 in credit card debt within 36 months, you will need to pay $326 per month, assuming an APR of 18%. You would incur $2,735 in interest charges during that time, but you could avoid much of this extra cost and pay off your debt faster by using a 0% APR balance transfer credit card.

Who is eligible for the $10000 debt relief? ›

How do I know if I am eligible for debt relief? To be eligible, your annual income must have fallen below $125,000 (for individuals) or $250,000 (for married couples or heads of households). If you received a Pell Grant in college and meet the income threshold, you will be eligible for up to $20,000 in debt relief.

How fast can you pay off $5,000 in credit card debt? ›

It will take 32 months to pay off $5,000 with payments of $200 per month, assuming the average credit card APR of around 18%. The time it takes to repay a balance depends on how often you make payments, how big your payments are and what the interest rate charged by the lender is.

How long will it take to pay off $25,000 in credit card debt? ›

$25,000 at 20%: Your minimum payment would be $666.67 per month and it would take 437 months to pay off $25,000 at 20% interest. You would pay $41,056.85 in interest over the life of the debt.

Is national debt relief good? ›

It has helped more than 500,000 people located all over the United States settle their debt. More than $1 billion in unsecured debts resolved — one of the larger amounts of debt settled that we've come across. Like others on our list, National Debt Relief has an A+ BBB rating, the highest possible score.

What is considered really bad credit card debt? ›

If your total balance is more than 30% of the total credit limit, you may be in too much debt. Some experts consider it best to keep credit utilization between 1% and 10%, while anything between 11% and 30% is typically considered good.

Does the government help with credit card debt? ›

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a government-sponsored program for credit card debt relief. In fact, if you receive a solicitation that touts a government program to get you out of debt, you may want to think twice about working with that company.

How to aggressively pay off debt? ›

Make debt payments beyond the minimum.

Making more than your required minimum payment can help you pay off debts more quickly and save money in interest charges. Earmark unanticipated funds, such as your tax return or a bonus, for debt payments.

How to pay off debt when you are broke? ›

How to get out of debt when you have no money
  1. Step 1: Stop taking on new debt. ...
  2. Step 2: Determine how much you owe. ...
  3. Step 3: Create a budget. ...
  4. Step 4: Pay off the smallest debts first. ...
  5. Step 5: Start tackling larger debts. ...
  6. Step 6: Look for ways to earn extra money. ...
  7. Step 7: Boost your credit scores.
Dec 5, 2023

How can I pay off $30000 in debt in one year? ›

The 6-step method that helped this 34-year-old pay off $30,000 of credit card debt in 1 year
  1. Step 1: Survey the land. ...
  2. Step 2: Limit and leverage. ...
  3. Step 3: Automate your minimum payments. ...
  4. Step 4: Yes, you must pay extra and often. ...
  5. Step 5: Evaluate the plan often. ...
  6. Step 6: Ramp-up when you 're ready.

What is the minimum payment on a $10,000 credit card? ›

If you only make minimum payments, a $10,000 credit card balance will cost you $16,056.59 in interest and take 346 months to pay off. Minimum payments on a $10,000 balance would start at $267 and decrease as you paid down what you owe.

How can I pay off my debt if I don't have enough money? ›

How to get out of debt on a low income
  1. Sign up for a debt relief program.
  2. Cut expenses to free up extra cash.
  3. Take advantage of opportunities to earn more money.
  4. Use financial windfalls to your advantage.
Feb 29, 2024

How to pay off 10k in debt in 12 months? ›

The simplest way to make this calculation is to divide $10,000 by 12. This would mean you need to pay $833 per month to have contributed your goal amount to your debt pay-off plan. This number, though, doesn't factor in the interest on your debt.

Is 10k of debt a lot? ›

What's considered too much debt is relative and varies by person based on the financial situation. There's no specific definition of “a lot of debt” — $10,000 might be a high amount of debt to one person, for example, but a very manageable debt for someone else.

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