A few years ago, I made some bad spending choices and ended up with about $35k in credit card and personal loan debt. I’ve gotten better with my spending and worked out a deal with the credit card companies where they closed my accounts and put me on a payment plan at 0% interest. I’ve been making payments and have paid off about $8k in the last nine months.
My question is: would credit card companies be willing to settle for a lump sum that’s less than the full balance since they aren’t making any interest off me? For example, would Discover take 50% of what I owe and consider the debt settled?
I haven’t missed any payments since getting on the payment plan, and my accounts are closed. I do have other open cards (Amex, Chase) that I’m paying off at a higher interest rate, and I’d like to keep those open for emergencies.
For context, I make about $150k a year, I’m 31 and single. I expect to get an additional $10k from my tax refund and bonus in the spring. I’m trying to figure out the best way to use that money to pay off my debt. Any advice?
You’re making $150k a year. What’s your overhead like? Do you live in a high cost of living area? If not, you should be able to knock out those higher interest cards quickly. Settlements are usually for people who can’t afford to pay, not for people like you who have a good income.
Settlements are typically for people who can’t pay their debts, not people making $150k. You should focus on creating a stricter budget to pay off the debts the proper way. That will help you long term with discipline and prevent you from ending up in this situation again.
No, they won’t settle for less if you’re current on payments. Credit card companies usually only consider settlements when accounts are severely delinquent. Also, settling for less can negatively affect your credit score for years. It sounds like you’ve already negotiated good terms with your payment plan. Your best bet is to keep focusing on paying down the higher interest cards.
They still won’t settle for less just because you’re on a 0% plan. They’ll want the full amount no matter what. Settling for less is really only an option when someone is way behind on payments or can’t pay at all.
I missed a payment and, before it hit 60 days late, I called them to negotiate. I offered to close the account and asked if they’d lower the interest. Most of them agreed to 0%.
No, they’ve already cut you a deal by giving you little to no interest. Use your $10k to build an emergency fund in a high-yield savings account so you don’t have to use credit for emergencies. Keep paying the minimums on your cards until you have 6 to 12 months of expenses saved.
Credit card companies usually only settle for less if you’re way behind on payments or if they’re about to sell your debt to a collection agency.
You make $150k a year and have only paid off $8k in 9 months? You should be throwing at least $4k a month at your debt and eating beans and rice until it’s gone. You’ve got a spending problem, not a debt problem.