If you long to see a zero balance on your credit cards, there are important steps you need to take. There are some things you’re doing now that will keep you paying debts all your life. You will never pay off your credit cards if you keep doing any of the 5 things listed below.
You’re Only Paying the Minimum
Making the minimum payments on your credit cards is the slowest way to pay off your credit cards. You’re barely making any progress toward paying your credit cards. Do the math. Plug your credit card details into a card payoff calculator and see the results. If you see a high balance, it will probably take you more than a decade to pay your card with minimum payments.
You’re Still Making Purchases
If you use up your available credit just as soon as your payment posts to your account, there’s a good chance you’ll always have a credit card balance. You’re stuck in a cycle of using your credit cards and unless you break it, you may never pay off your credit cards for good.
Your Credits Cards Are All Maxed Out
Maxed-out credit cards are the hardest to pay off, especially if you’re only paying the minimum on your credit cards. Most of your payment likely goes toward your finance charges, which may be expensive if you’ve triggered the penalty rate by going over your credit limit or making a late payment. Multiple maxed-out credit cards make it less likely that you’ll be able to pay off your credit cards.
You Don’t Know How Much You Owe
Being ignorant of your card debt is a risky way to live. You can’t make good financial decisions if you’re not completely aware of your financial picture. Ignoring your credit card debt probably means that you’re making other mistakes that keep you in debt.
You Spend More Than You Make Each Month
One of the fastest ways to get into credit card debt is to live above your means. Unfortunately, you’ll only be able to do this for a short period of time before your credit cards are all maxed. You can’t possibly have extra money to clear your debts if you’re continuously spending more money than you have.
While each of these things indicates that you may never pay off your debt, doing exactly the opposite will keep you debt-free.