My Girlfriend has a £3,000 debt on credit cards and is getting to the stage where she can only pay off the interest each month and a 'card protection' and 'insurance' fee, so the £3,000 deficit remains (and gets worse).
I help her out now and again and she switches cards every year so they are interest free. Are there any helplines/ government bodies available for advice on how to combat such problems? Any Advice ? Thanks
(PS, please take this seriously, no "she should find a richer man" or "she should stop buying clothes". After all, these were my first two suggestions to her!)
2006-11-13 23:54:44 · 25 answers · asked by disco_stoo_1 2 in Business & Finance ➔ Personal Finance
Perhaps she should take out a bank loan for £3,000 and repay the card. The interest on teh loan will be less and she will see the balance go down each month if she just pays as much as she is paying now. It might be even cheaper if you, if you wanted to, took out the loan
2006-11-13 23:59:51 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
3 grand is nothing, what's dangerous is the attitude.
If she likes to buy clothes then you ain't seen nuffin yet! Lol.
A little mathematics will show that if she cancels the insurance fee and card protection and pays 70 quid a week it'll take her less than a year to pay this little debt.
I don't know what job she does but I know a cleaner that can save 90 pounds a week from her wage so the problem to 'combact' is in the head. We are talking about 10 pounds a day for less than a year here, that's hardly difficult. How about she eats boiled potatoes and pasta for a while? Seriously. if she's on take aways then that alone would pay the debt with no extra effort.
Also you say that she's getting interest free loans every year then in the same sentence you add that "she can only pay the interest each month"?
I don't get it.. but it's late at night.
if you need a load of free info without too much bull on
debt consolidation, bad credit and all that, these sites are all free anyway, perhaps you can get her to read up a bit if anything just doing the effort might set her off in the right track, as I said I don't think the problem is that big, it's all in the attitude.
http://credit-cards.ebookorama.com
http://finance.ebookorama.com
http://credit.ebookorama.com
http://credit-repair.ebookorama.com
2006-11-16 12:19:59 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
I'm certain that you must find every financial clarification at= loandirectory.info-
RE (UK) My Girlfriend has a £3,000 debt on credit cards, please help!?
My Girlfriend has a £3,000 debt on credit cards and is getting to the stage where she can only pay off the interest each month and a 'card protection' and 'insurance' ...show more
2014-09-20 09:30:54 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Seriously?
She needs counselling--not financial, but psychological.
She sounds like a compulsive spender, or 'spendaholic.' It could be as simple as 'new toy syndrome,' the thrill of making a new purchase she finds exciting, and the minimum payment allows her to live in denial about her growing debt. Could also be a deeper-rooted problem, but this will be uncovered in counselling.
Agree with others. If she can secure a bank loan to pay off the credit cards, this is a first step. If not, consolidate to a cheaper card that will guarantee a low interest rate for the life of the debt.
Can you switch to an American or Canadian card? There may be an advantage to pay it off in US or CAN$ instead of GBP.
She needs to work on her attitude toward money. Spending can bring you instant gratification, but saving has its own rewards.
Maybe if she reflects on what she did to earn the money, how long it takes to earn it, etc., this may curb her spending.
Get her to talk about her long-term goals, like financial (does she want to own a home one day, earn a degree, follow a career), and get her to focus on these.
It's all in the mind.
Talk to her, and don't stop talking until she stops spending.
2006-11-14 00:14:28 · answer #4 · answered by inprimeform 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Continually switching to interest free cards decreases your credit rating as they think you are only doing it so you can spend more money! Every time you apply for a new card, it goes on your credit record - the more applications you have, the worse your rating.
Get a personal loan to pay them all off - that's what I did and now I have a single monthly payment that goes out by Direct Debit and I don't even have to think about it.
2006-11-14 03:34:56 · answer #5 · answered by sciencechick 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The consumer credit counselling service helped me out in the same situation. They will create a budget for her and contact the people she owes if you want them to. Shes got to stop spending and get to the route of the problem, e.g, why does she feel the need to shop so much. Now I shop through cheaper methods such as ebay ( selling and buying) and freecycle where people give away stuff they dont want. If its large purchases that made her go into debt, sell them. If she didnt have the credit card she wouldnt have been able to buy them. It sounds harsh but needs to be done- good luck.
2006-11-14 00:47:23 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Money Advice Centre Tel : 01476 594970
CAB - http://adviceguide.org
National Debt Helpline - 0808 808 4000
http://nationaldebtline.co.uk
Also, speak to the card companies - get the cards stopped so no more can be put on there and work out a minimum payment. Explain that she is in problems and they will assist. They want their money back and court action costs them a lot in time and money - they'd rather strike up an arrangement.
2006-11-14 03:09:03 · answer #7 · answered by teddykinetic 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The rules are different in Scotland from England and Wales - so first if you are from Scotland contact the Citizens Advice Beaurea who will give you free advice. Also look into getting a loan (or if at all possible a re-mortgage, as this will give you the lowest possible interest rate) get the full amount repaid - which will stop you having to pay card protection and insurance fees. If however its England I'm afraid I cannot give advice as I'm unaware of their rules and regulations. I hope she managed to get herself sorted soon.
2006-11-14 00:01:14 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi the worse thing she can do is get more cards!!. If she goes to
the CAB (Citizens Advice Bureau) they ahve debt managers there who can talk to the credititors on her behlaf and arrange easy payments incl the interest fee, the companies will work within certain peramenters, providing that the payments are kep.
AS a safe guard may I "Suggest" she pays for everything with cash as everytime you use the card you get charged. good luck
2006-11-13 23:59:57 · answer #9 · answered by dave c 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
She should get a personal loan to pay off the £3000 over say 3 years, and cancel the credit card. Then she should stop buying items on credit, and only with cash.
2006-11-14 00:03:01 · answer #10 · answered by Mark B 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋