Debt Consolidation In The UK - A 5 Minute Primer

Posted by Nick Niesen on October 29th, 2010

Getting into debt can be a very rapid process, since banks make money by issuing credit cards and other loans to those who need and want them. Each time someone charges up a credit card, they are required to pay interest as well as many fees associated with the credit cards, and banks are able to make money this way. Unfortunately, many people find themselves overwhelmed in monthly fees and payments, and they figure out that they are not able to pay off their debts. Because most credit cards and loans add interest each month, it is important to make a monthly payment higher than the interest in order to get the loan paid off, but many are not able to do this when they have many different credit card accounts and loans building up.

Debt consolidation loans make it possible for people buried in debt to get them paid off, without having to worry about forking over their entire paycheck to avoid interest charges and additional fees. Instead of having to pay ten different payments to ten different banks and loan companies, debt consolidation loans make it possible to only make one monthly payment. Banks that offer debt consolidation loans will loan an individual the money the need in order to pay off most or all of their debt, and they can then pay only one bank back with only one payment a month. This type of loan makes it much easier to avoid the many different fees and charges associated with credit cards and other types of loans, so people are able to pay off their debts and pay less than they originally had before getting a debt consolidation loan.

It is important that a debt consolidation loan only be used to pay off existing debts to keep them paid off, rather than paying them off so they can be charged up again. Debt consolidation loans can help to improve the credit of a person, since having only one open loan rather than many can make a score increase. If a person gets a loan, pays off their debts, and then charges them up again, they will experience a severe decrease in their score that can be very hard to get back up again. A person with a long history of debt should not consider a debt consolidation loan, since it will most likely be their opportunity to further build up their debt and make it harder to pay off. A debt consolidation loan also should not be used to pay off loans with little to no interest charges, since debt consolidation loans do include interest. It would be pointless to get a debt consolidation loan and end up paying more in interest and fees, so it is important to make sure the loan will actually save money rather than costing more.

Debt consolidation loans are a great way for people to get out of debt, but should be researched before agreeing to any loan. It is important to first determine that it will actually save money rather than cost more, and being able to keep the credit cards and loans paid off is also important. For more information about the different types of debt consolidation loans available, contact your local bank or credit union.