If you have heavy credit card debt, and I don't know why you would be reading this if you don't, then you are probably frantically searching for answers to your problems.

The first thing that needs to be accomplished has probably already occurred. You need to admit that you actually do have a problem with credit card debt. For some people, this may be the toughest step to take but for many others, the next step is actually the most difficult, mainly because it requires the most work, as well as quite a bit of sacrifice.

The Next Step

If you only pay the minimum amount of your credit cards or you have at least one credit card that is at its limit then you most likely do have a consumer credit card debt issue on your hands.

Do it Yourself Debt Settlement

If you have paid late fees on your credit cards over the last year or you regularly buy items with your credit cards that you could would not normally consider buying with cash, then this is just further proof that something needs to be done about your credit card spending habits.

However, just changing your spending habits will not change the fact that you are already in way over your head when it comes to your credit card debt. You need to take some action.

The first thing that you need to do is get organized so that you can have a clear picture of your credit card debt. You need to write it all down. If you don't do so already (and you certainly should), start saving all of your credit card statements.

Take a look at your statements and record each of your credit cards. Be sure to include your total outstanding balance, your minimum monthly payments and the current interest rate that they are charging you.

After you have this all on paper, you can then organize your credit card debts into some sort of order. Organize your credit card statements by order of importance with the most important credit card debt at the top of the pile and the least important at the bottom.

Keep in mind that the most important credit card debt will be the one that has the highest minimum monthly payments or the highest interest rate. You can come up with some sort of formula to determine which credit card debt is the most important.

For instance, a credit card company that is charging you 24% interest, carries a $10,000 balance and has a minimum monthly payment of $400 might be a good candidate for the top of your list while a credit card company that is only charging you 7 or 8% and your minimum monthly payment is only $20, might fall to the bottom of your pile of credit card statements.

Now it is time to take some action on your credit card debts. You will want to work on your most 'important' credit card bills first. You can contact the credit card company in order to negotiate with them.

Credit card companies would rather negotiate with you than face a total loss of the money that is owed to them. If you were to file for bankruptcy, in most cases, the credit card company would end up getting nothing at all. If they choose to negotiate with you, they at least stand a chance at getting some of their money.

Most credit card companies have a website that you can use in order to initiate contact with them. For many people, this is much easier than actually talking to someone on the phone. However, if you are the type of person who can easily talk to people on the phone, you might want to use one of the toll free phone numbers that they list on their website.

For other people, contacting their credit card company in order to negotiate with them is simply to daunting of a task to face. If you are one of these types of people then you might want to consider using a debt negotiation service. Debt negotiation services will contact your credit card companies on your behalf, for a fee. For some people, this fee is well worth the fact that they will not have to do any of the 'dirty work' themselves.

When you contact your credit card companies, they might be able to help you work out a payment plan that works for you by lowering your interest rate or by simply lowering your monthly payments. It is better business for them if you keep making your payments and avoid bankruptcy.

Another method for lowering your monthly credit card payments is through restructuring. You can use balance transfers in order to accomplish this. For instance, you could use your credit card at the bottom of your pile of credit card statements in order to transfer the balance of your higher interest credit card at the top of your pile. This is assuming that you have that much credit available on the lower interest card.

One of the most obvious things that you can do in order to help with your credit card debt is to stop charging. Even though this should be fairly obvious, it's still worth stating. If you are serious about getting out of credit card debt then you need to stop charging on your cards immediately. Simply use cash for anything that you buy. If you don't have the cash, don't buy it. With this type of mindset, you will not only save money by not accruing any more charges on your credit card but you will also simply spend less money.

In general, you should pay more than the minimum amount due on your credit cards. If you only pay the minimum amount due, you will never be able to pay off your credit cards and get out of debt.

Finally, do check your credit report for errors. You might be surprised by what you find. Errors on credit reports are more frequent than you may have previously thought. Part of getting your credit on track might include cleaning up your credit report and eliminating any errors.

If it all just seems like too much to bear, do get some help. You might want to talk to a debt counselor. The National Foundation of Credit Counseling (nfcc.org) is a good place to start. They can direct you to a reputable debt counselor in your area.