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%.

7 Ways to Make Money if You Hate People

Do you avoid people too? In the past, there was almost no way around working with people if you wanted to earn a living, but things have changed.

Our team has compiled a list of creative ways you can fatten your bank account this month, without having to put up with people.

Enough small talk. Here are some ways to earn extra cash, without all of the social stuff.

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.

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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.

The 5 Dumbest Things We Keep Spending Too Much Money On

You've done what you can to cut back your spending.You brew coffee at home, you don’t walk into Target and you refuse to order avocado toast. (Can you sense my millennial sarcasm there?)

You brew coffee at home, you don’t walk into Target and you refuse to order avocado toast. But no matter how cognizant you are of your spending habits, you’re still stuck with those inescapable monthly bills.

You know which ones we’re talking about: rent, utilities, cell phone bill, insurance, groceries…

Ready to stop paying them? Follow these moves…

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

FAQs

How can I pay off $10 K 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 $10 K 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 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.

How to clear 10k debt? ›

Ways to clear your debt
  1. Informally negotiated arrangement.
  2. Free debt management plan (DMP )
  3. Individual voluntary arrangement (IVA)
  4. Bankruptcy.
  5. Debt relief order (DRO)
  6. Administration order.
  7. Debt consolidation and credit.
  8. Full and final settlement offer.

Is there a government credit card debt relief program? ›

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.

Which is the best debt relief company? ›

National Debt Relief is the best overall debt settlement company, according to our research. National Debt Relief's low-cost fee structure and referral service make it a top option for people struggling with debts. Our highest-rated debt settlement companies all charge similar fees, ranging from 15% to 25% of the debt.

Is the National Debt Relief Program legit? ›

National Debt Relief is a legitimate company providing debt relief services. The company was founded in 2009 and is a member of the American Association for Debt Resolution (AADR). It's certified by the International Association of Professional Debt Arbitrators (IAPDA), and is accredited by the BBB.

How can I pay off my credit card debt if I have no money? ›

  1. Using a balance transfer credit card. ...
  2. Consolidating debt with a personal loan. ...
  3. Borrowing money from family or friends. ...
  4. Paying off high-interest debt first. ...
  5. Paying off the smallest balance first. ...
  6. Bottom line.
Feb 9, 2024

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.

Who is eligible for the $10000 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).

What is the minimum payment on 10000 credit card debt? ›

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 fast can I pay off 10k credit card debt? ›

If you want to pay off debt more quickly, you'll need to make extra credit card payments and pay above the minimum. Let's say you had that same $10,000 credit card debt at 18% interest mentioned above, and you made a $350 payment every month until it was paid off. In that case, you'd be free of your debt in 38 months.

Does debt consolidation hurt your credit? ›

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.

Should I empty my savings to pay off credit card? ›

While you can tap into savings to pay your credit card bill—especially if you've got mounting credit card debt and a flush savings account—it's not something you should get into the habit of doing. Using savings to cover a credit card bill will have a negative impact on your savings goals.

What is the fastest way to pay off credit card debt? ›

The avalanche method has you focus first on repaying your highest-interest debt until it's completely gone. You then move on to the debt with the next-highest interest rate and so on. Paying more money toward your highest-interest debts may help you save money in interest payments in the long run.

How long does it take to pay off 10k in debt? ›

Let's say you had that same $10,000 credit card debt at 18% interest mentioned above, and you made a $350 payment every month until it was paid off. In that case, you'd be free of your debt in 38 months. That's 304 months, or just over 25 years, faster than making minimum payments alone.

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.

Which method is best to pay off debt the fastest? ›

Pay off your most expensive loan first.

Then, continue paying down debts with the next highest interest rates to save on your overall cost. This is sometimes referred to as the “avalanche method” of paying down debt.

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