Explain the Situation

• Credit card companies are only aware of whether the consumer is paying the bill and whether that payment is on time. The company is not aware of personal situations that are affecting the ability for the consumer to pay. Many credit card companies are willing to work with the consumer once the situation is understood.
  
  If a consumer is struggling to pay their credit card bill, the consumer needs to make contact with the credit card company. A consumer can call, email or write a letter to explain the situation. This provides an option for the credit card company to work with the consumer to lower minimum payments or change specific terms on the account before the consumer can no longer handle the monthly minimum payments.
  
  

Consolidate Your Debt

• Consolidating debt is a good way to deal with credit card companies that are not willing to work with a consumer's situation. Consolidating debt also helps to reduce payments and get on a timetable to pay back the money. A consumer's debt can be consolidated by performing a balance transfer from the original card to another card with a lower interest rate. The new card may also come with added benefits to help reduce debt faster than the original company, such as a special interest rate for the balance transfer.
  
  

Be Persistent

• A consumer needs to be persistent when working with credit card companies. One telephone call or email may not be enough to get the attention of the person at the company who has the skills and authority to work with the consumer's account. If the customer does not get a satisfactory response from the credit card company after the first attempt, it is important to keep trying. When the first person on a customer service line cannot help resolve the situation, ask for a manager or someone with more authority over the account who may be able to assist with the request.
  
  Keeping track of communication attempts and any responses is also important; this allows the consumer to know who they have previously contacted and what information was provided.