Before the Covid-19 pandemic, financial experts typically advised consumers to pay off their debts. However, with millions of people out of work, the focus has switched to saving. Moreover, if you have a lot of credit debt and no money, how can you save? It is challenging to decide what objectives to prioritize.
One option is to consolidate your credit debt into one monthly bill with a personal loan from a company. Such loans are known as Debt Consolidation Loan, and it usually leads to a reasonable interest rate, which might help you break the debt cycle once and for all.
Read further to learn more about debt consolidation loans, how it works, and why it could save you money over time.
What is debt consolidation?
You can qualify for debt consolidation if you owe money on more than one credit card. You take this loan out, pay back your credit card bills, and then repay it in instalments, usually at a cheaper interest rate than your credit cards.
Personal loans are usually fixed-rate, which means the interest rate is fixed for the duration of the loan, and you compensate the same amount each month until it is completely paid. It contrasts to credit cards, which have variable APRs that fluctuate.
A typical lender, such as a bank or an independent peer-to-peer lending organisation, can help you secure a loan. Banks typically have formal requirements to get authorized for a loan, such as a satisfactory credit score and a substantial borrowing record with documented on-time payments. A high sufficient debt-to-income ratio demonstrates you have the financial means to make the monthly bill.
On the other hand, peer-to-peer financiers offer slightly looser or non-traditional rules. For example, in addition to your credit rating, a corporation will consider your degree of education and work history.
How does it work?
A debt consolidation loan works similarly to a balance transfer with a 0% APR term, but differently. Unless you use a no-fee balance transfer card, balance transfers typically charge rates ranging from 2% to 5%.
When you acquire a consolidation loan, instead of moving debt from one account to the other, the money is paid straight into your bank, which you may use to pay all of your credit debt at once. Then you make monthly instalments to your lender over a period chosen when you applied for the loan. When you pay off a personal loan, the credit line closes, and you no longer have access to it.
What to consider?
Although debt consolidation makes financial management more accessible, the interest rate is the most crucial thing to consider when applying for one. Therefore, before requesting any personal loan, you must check the official loan sites to determine which APR you qualify for.
It will give you a great understanding of what rates you can afford to pay. However, it is not a promise, and you must not consolidate if the provider offers you a similar or greater APR on loan than your credit card payments.
Debt consolidation can help you simplify your finances by allowing you to pay off all of your debts in a single monthly payment. In addition, transferring credit card bills to a personalised instalment loan improves your credit score by lowering your credit utilisation rate.
Despite the benefits and simplicity of a consolidation loan, you should consider interest rates and fees when you inquire about prequalification. Ideally, you will be able to discover a loan that makes your monthly bill more bearable while still saving you money in the long term on interest.
