We’ve already covered how credit cards are sneaky. (Miss that post? Read here.) Major credit card debt can build up in a scary way if you’re not careful.

For some people, credit card debt is the only way they can afford the lifestyle they have/need/want. Not ideal, but #reality.

But feeling a soul-crushing panic when you look at your credit card bill every month gets old. Not to mention depressing. It’s also unnecessary – with some efficient, boss-like tactics, you can avoid or get rid of the debt monster eating all your money.

How to Avoid Credit Card Debt

Tactic #1: Use automatic payment

Automatic payment is like receiving monthly Amazon toilet paper deliveries. Aka a life-saver. Autopay will help you avoid any late fees for missed payments. Just make sure you have enough money in your bank account to cover the bill.

There are 3 options for automatic payment amounts: in full, minimum, or fixed.

Payment in full

Select the payment in full option if you have the funds to pay off your card every month. Meaning you’re not spending more than you can afford. Gold stars if you’re in this category.

Minimum Payment

This is a great option for peeps who like to manually log into their account every month and look things over. If you sometimes use your credit card a little too freely, this forces you to do a monthly reality check. Setting a minimum automatic payment will prevent you from paying any late fees just in case you forget to log in and pay the entire balance.

Fixed payments

Fixed payments are solid options for those already in credit card debt. If this is you, stop using the card in question, and set a fixed monthly payment within your budget. Every month, your debt will steadily decrease.

Tactic #2: Set up email or text alerts

You’re on your phone all the time anyway, right? Most credit card accounts have the option for text alerts if you spend over a certain threshold. Not only is this a great security measure, but the text messages might get so annoying that you curtail your credit card spending.

Tactic #3: Use financial planning apps

Apps like Mint huddle all your financial info into one, easy to navigate platform. Not only can it alert you to upcoming credit card bills, but it can also notify you when your gas or electric bill is due. Mint does access all your bank account info, but it can’t move money for you. Meaning there are security risks (like everything else nowadays -_-) but Mint has some comforting security credentials. If you’re interested, you can read more about their security details here.

Tactic #4: Only use your card for certain purchases

It’s no secret some credit cards offer amazing rewards. If you have a rewards card, try limiting your spending to only what will give you points back. If you have a card that gives 1x or 2x cash back on every purchase, create your own guidelines so you don’t use your card on certain unnecessary (but fun) purchases, like home goods or clothing. If anything else, this will limit online shopping binges.

How to Get out of Credit Card Debt

Tactic #1: Put together a strategy

The exact battle plan for dealing with credit card debt depends on some situational details, like the card’s interest rate, income vs. financial needs, and the number of cards needing payment.

For example, Fiona has credit card debt on two cards. One has a 0% interest rate for the next 6 months, and after that, it’s 12%. The other has a 17% interest rate. First, she stops using both cards. She decides to focus on paying off the 17% card first since that debt will accumulate higher interest faster. She figures out how to cut some costs in her budget and sets a fixed amount to pay on the 17% card every month. Once the debt is paid off, she tackles the 0% card.

Tactic #2: Call your credit card company

Although credit card companies have sneaky goals, they also like to play the nice guy. It’s not uncommon that by calling and asking nicely, they will agree to give you a lower interest rate on your card. If you’ve had the card for a while – #loyalcustomer – your chances are higher. And if the first person doesn’t agree…well, try calling back later and asking a different person. Agreeing to lower your rates is more of a human decision than a scientific one.

Tactic #3: Transfer the balance

If you have multiple credit cards or just one that has a high-interest rate, sometimes it’s beneficial to transfer balances to a different/new card. Here’s an example:

Fiona owes debt payments on two credit cards. She learns she can transfer the balance from her 17% card to her 0% card. Meaning she’ll pay less interest over time. (Curious how to figure that out? Download the handy Balance Transfer Spreadsheet with all the math deets.) Balance transfer also simplifies her life; instead of managing multiple credit card accounts, she only needs to focus on one.

If you’re opening a new card to help pay off the debt of another, look for cards that have 0% APR the first several months. Assess whether you can reasonably pay off the first card’s debt in the amount of time the 0% APR lasts.

Transferring balances means that the balance on one card moves to another card. Usually, you can’t do this for free; the average fee is 3% of the amount being transferred. However, some cards offer 0% balance transfer rates for a set period.

Tough Love

Having credit card debt doesn’t make you a bad person. (If it did, it would put a lot of Americans on the naughty list.) Just like cleaning up your diet, cleaning up your financials will take a little bit of discipline, but creating a plan and executing it with minimal stress will lead to the best results.

RECAP

Credit cards are pretty pieces of plastic that get a lot of people in debt trouble every year. It’s important not to avoid the problem but instead deal with your debt before it gets out of control. Figure out a strategy to reduce your debt by a certain deadline. This will involve looking into the numbers, making a budget, and setting up fixed payments. If this means cutting up your credit cards, so be it.

Ain’t nobody got time to be fighting debt monsters.