Wednesday, November 27, 2013

8 Negotiation Tips To Help Reduce Your Credit Card Debt

By Martin P S Collins


Call at the right time: Choosing the right time to call a credit card company is one of the simplest, yet most effective negotiation tactics. Call them early in the morning, as this is the time when people are in the best mood and more likely to be supportive to your case. Don't call at the end of the day, when everybody is tired and grumpy.

Let them know you will pay back your debt: What concerns credit card companies most are people who are trying all sorts of dirty negotiation tricks to get out of paying their debts altogether. It is crucial that you explain to them that you do intend to pay back your debt. What you are asking is some small help. If you do this nicely, you may be surprised how understanding credit card companies can be! This is a very simple, yet effective negotiation technique.

Take advantage of your first time: If you have not asked for a lower interest rate or to have a late fee waived with this credit card company before, make sure you tell them. These companies are usually much more generous with first time offenders than with those asking for extensions on a monthly basis.

Show them your loyalty: If you have been a customer or a big spender for several years, you should use this to your advantage. When you remind your credit card company what a loyal customer you have been, they will be more willing to renegotiate your debt because they want to keep your business long term.

Ask for a lower interest rate: Unknown to many, credit card interest rates are often negotiable for those with good negotiation skills. If you have had a good payment history, you shouldn't have any problems with requesting for a lower interest rate. Explain that you'll be able to put more money towards paying off your principal balance instead of your interest rate charges.

Have late payment fees waived: This is such a simple, yet very effective bargaining tactic. Late payment fees can usually easily be waived if you settle your bill within a short period of the due date. Haggling down fees tends to be much easier than haggling price. If you have, leverage a solid credit history on top. An extra phone call, that is likely to be well worth the effort.

Request to miss a payment: If you have had some unexpected financial issues that you are expecting to resolve in the coming weeks or months, explain your situation honestly to the credit card company and ask very carefully if you could miss a payment or two. Beware though that these kind of skipped payments may have a bad impact on your credit rating.

Get to the decision maker as fast as possible: A good negotiation tip is to always attempt to speak to the person who can call the shots. Your initial call will likely be handed to a customer service representative, but you should ask to talk directly to the manager or whoever has the authority to make decisions. Write down the names, titles, contact details and timing for every call you make.




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