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 $10k in debt fast? ›

7 ways to pay off $10,000 in credit card debt
  1. Opt for debt relief. One powerful approach to managing and reducing your credit card debt is with the help of debt relief companies. ...
  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

Is 10k in 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.

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 $5000 dollars a lot of credit card debt? ›

$5,000 in credit card debt can be quite costly in the long run. That's especially the case if you only make minimum payments each month. However, you don't have to accept decades of credit card debt. There are a few things you can do to pay your debt off faster - potentially saving thousands of dollars in the process.

How to pay off $100,000 fast? ›

Here are 11 strategies from Harzog, Pizel, Nitzsche and other experts on how to attack big debts.
  1. Calculate what you owe. ...
  2. Cut expenses. ...
  3. Make a budget. ...
  4. Earn more money. ...
  5. Quit using credit cards. ...
  6. Transfer balances to get a lower interest rate. ...
  7. Call your credit card company. ...
  8. Get counseling.
Jan 23, 2015

How to pay off $9000 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.

How much debt is really bad? ›

Generally speaking, a good debt-to-income ratio is anything less than or equal to 36%. Meanwhile, any ratio above 43% is considered too high. The biggest piece of your DTI ratio pie is bound to be your monthly mortgage payment.

What is the 28 36 rule? ›

According to the 28/36 rule, you should spend no more than 28% of your gross monthly income on housing and no more than 36% on all debts. Housing costs can include: Your monthly mortgage payment. Homeowners Insurance. Private mortgage insurance.

Is 70k debt a lot? ›

What is considered a lot of student loan debt? A lot of student loan debt is more than you can afford to repay after graduation. For many this means having more than $70,000 – $100,000 of total student debt.

How long will it take to pay off $20,000 in credit card debt? ›

It will take 47 months to pay off $20,000 with payments of $600 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 do I pay off debt when I can t afford the minimum payments? ›

Seek Credit Counseling

A counselor might suggest you enroll in a debt management program. They would work with creditors to reduce your interest rates and pay off credit card and other debts in three to five years. It's one thing to get out of debt. It's another to stay there.

What is the minimum payment on a $3000 credit card Chase? ›

Minimum Payment on a $3,000 Credit Card Balance by Issuer
IssuerStandard Minimum Payment
Chase$35
Citibank$45
Credit One$150
USAA$30
6 more rows
Oct 19, 2021

How many people have $50,000 in credit card debt? ›

Running up $50,000 in credit card debt is not impossible. About two million Americans do it every year. Paying off that bill?

What is a good credit score? ›

There are some differences around how the various data elements on a credit report factor into the score calculations. Although credit scoring models vary, generally, credit scores from 660 to 724 are considered good; 725 to 759 are considered very good; and 760 and up are considered excellent.

How to wipe credit card debt? ›

Outside of bankruptcy or debt settlement, there are really no other ways to completely wipe away credit card debt without paying. Making minimum payments and slowly chipping away at the balance is the norm for most people in debt, and that may be the best option in many situations.

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

Here are five of the fastest ways to achieve debt freedom:
  1. Take advantage of debt relief services.
  2. Reduce interest where possible.
  3. Focus on your highest interest rate first.
  4. Take advantage of opportunities to earn extra income.
  5. Cut expenses where possible.
May 22, 2024

How to pay 15000 in debt fast? ›

How to Pay Off $15,000 in Credit Card Debt
  1. Create a Budget. ...
  2. Debt Management Program. ...
  3. DIY (Do It Yourself) Payment Plans. ...
  4. Debt Consolidation Loan. ...
  5. Consider a Balance Transfer. ...
  6. Debt Settlement. ...
  7. Lifestyle Changes to Pay Off Credit Card Debt. ...
  8. Consider Professional Debt Relief Help.

Who qualifies for debt forgiveness? ›

Borrowers with undergraduate debt would qualify for forgiveness if they entered repayment 20 years ago or more, and borrowers with graduate school debt would qualify for forgiveness if they entered repayment 25 years ago or more.

What are the three biggest strategies for paying down debt? ›

What's the best way to pay off debt?
  • The snowball method. Pay the smallest debt as fast as possible. Pay minimums on all other debt. Then pay that extra toward the next largest debt. ...
  • Debt avalanche. Pay the largest or highest interest rate debt as fast as possible. Pay minimums on all other debt. ...
  • Debt consolidation.
Aug 8, 2023

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