Best Debt Consolidation Companies for March 2024 (2024)

FAQs

What is the best company to use to consolidate debt? ›

Get free support from a nonprofit credit counselor. Credit counseling organizations can advise you on how to manage your money and pay off your debts, so you can better avoid issues in the future. Get to the bottom of why you're in debt. It's important to understand why you are in debt.

Typical interest rates on debt consolidation loans range from about 6% to 36%. To get a rate at the low end of that range, you'll need an excellent credit score (720 to 850 credit score). But even a good credit score (690 to 719 credit score) could help you get a better rate than you have now.

Even if you owe money, debt collectors aren't allowed to threaten, harass, or publicly shame you. You have the right to order a debt collector to stop contacting you, and they must comply. If there's a mistake, and you really don't owe the debt, you can take steps to remedy the error.

National Debt Relief, a debt settlement firm, negotiates with creditors to reduce consumer debt. They offer free consultations and will customize plans to make debt payoff affordable. Depending on factors like your debt size, budget and negotiated amount, you could pay off your debts within 24 to 48 months.

National Debt Relief ratings

In general, National Debt Relief has strong customer reviews. The company is accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and it has an A+ rating. On TrustPilot, it has a 4.7 out of five rating based on over 39,000 reviews.

If a credit card account remains open after you've paid it off through debt consolidation, you can still use it. However, running up another balance could make it difficult to pay off your debt consolidation account.

What is the debt forgiveness program? ›

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. Cancel student debt for borrowers previously enrolled in low-financial-value programs.

You might be able to simplify the debt payoff process and in turn, improve your finances. However, whether debt consolidation is a good idea depends on your situation. You might prioritize consolidating if you can secure a straightforward repayment plan with a more helpful lender.

Every lender sets its own guidelines when it comes to minimum credit score requirements for debt consolidation loans. However, it's likely lenders will require a minimum score between 580 and 680.

Fees for debt consolidation are around 4% with a debt consolidation loan and 3.1% with a balance transfer credit card, on average. The fees you need to watch out for when consolidating debt are origination fees on loans and balance transfer fees on credit cards.

Debt consolidation is when you move some or all of your existing debt from multiple accounts (such as credit cards and loans) to just one account. To do this you'd pay off – and potentially close – your old accounts with credit from the new one.

If you do it right, debt consolidation might slightly decrease your score temporarily. The drop will come from a hard inquiry that appears on your credit reports every time you apply for credit. But, according to Experian, the decrease is normally less than 5 points and your score should rebound within a few months.

Consolidating your debt can lower your monthly payments, but it can also cause a temporary dip in your credit score.

Debt consolidation puts multiple debts into a single account to make your payments easier. Debt consolidation can lower your credit score temporarily, but your score will improve if you make payments on time. Other tools like debt management plans and bankruptcy can help you manage debt.

Many debt consolidation options will have minor negative impacts on credit, but remember, they're temporary. They will also have long-term positive effects. The three major credit reporting bureaus — Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion — take several things into account when determining a credit score.