If your debt becomes much harder to pay off because the interest payments on that amount prevent you from making any real progress.
Read our list of "debt shortcuts" below and pay off your debt faster.
Try one of these smart payoff strategies
- Snowball Method: Pay off debts starting with the smallest balance first and working your way up. A small win early on can be just the motivation you need to keep going.
- Avalanche Method: Pay off debt starting with the highest interest rate first and working your way down. You could save money in the long run by accruing fewer interest charges.
- Biweekly Payment: Make half of your monthly payment every two weeks. This will result in an extra payment each year, helping you pay down your balance faster.
- Round-Up Payments: Round up your payment to the nearest $10, $50, or $100, depending on your budget. This will help you pay off your principal balance faster and save on interest charges.
See if your credit card debt is eligible for this debt relief program
If you have a lot of debt, getting out of it can feel stressful (and nearly impossible). Here’s the problem: the longer you put off tackling it, the harder it may get to fix. If you don’t take control of it early on, it can add undue stress to your life for years. But what if there was a way to get out of debt once and for all?
National Debt Relief can help. If you have more than $30,000 in debt from credit cards, medical bills, collections, or personal loans, their certified debt specialists may be able to help you resolve your debt for less than you owe — with one low monthly program payment.
Best of all? There are zero upfront fees, and you could be debt-free in 12-48 months. To get started, just answer a few simple questions and get connected with a caring debt specialist. The consultation is completely free and only takes a few minutes to see if you qualify!1 <p>Clients who are able to stay with the program and get all their debt settled realize approximate savings of 45% before fees, or 20% including our fees, over 12 to 48 months. All claims are based on enrolled debts. Not all debts are eligible for enrollment. Not all clients complete our program for various reasons, including their ability to save sufficient funds. Estimates based on prior results, which will vary based on specific circumstances. We do not guarantee that your debts will be lowered by a specific amount or percentage or that you will be debt-free within a specific period of time. We do not assume consumer debt, make monthly payments to creditors or provide tax, bankruptcy, accounting or legal advice or credit repair services. Not available in all states. Please contact a tax professional to discuss tax consequences of settlement. Please consult with a bankruptcy attorney for more information on bankruptcy. Depending on your state, we may be available to recommend a local tax professional and/or bankruptcy attorney. Read and understand all program materials prior to enrollment, including potential adverse impact on credit rating.</p>
See if your $30k+ in credit card debt is eligible for National Debt Relief
Pay no interest on qualifying balance transfers until 2027
Imagine getting 21 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers with an intro 0% APR (then APR is 17.24%, 23.74%, or 28.99% Variable) . Sounds great — right? You could dramatically change your financial picture with this industry-leading low-interest card - the Wells Fargo Reflect® Card(Rates and fees).
If you want to kick high-interest credit card debt to the curb, this is one of the leading get-out-of-debt cards available. Transfer your high-interest debt to this card with a 0% intro APR for 21 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers. Your payments can go directly to paying down your balance without incurring a pile of additional charges. That could save you hundreds of dollars in interest! After the intro period, the APR is 17.24%, 23.74%, or 28.99% Variable.
The best part? There's no annual fee with the Wells Fargo Reflect® Card.
Ohio Driver? Cancel your car insurance
Driving without car insurance is illegal, but if you do this, you’re not actually breaking the law.
This tool can help you see if you’re overpaying for car insurance in just a few clicks. You’d be shocked by the difference. $159 per month is what they wanted to charge me. I thought that was the best price, don’t even look anywhere else. Right? Wrong.
I used this tool and now I’m able to pay just $47 a month for two cars.2 <p>Actual savings and coverage options vary based on factors such as driving history, location, and insurer policies. The rates shown in this example may not reflect what every user will qualify for.</p> Too many insurance companies do this. They push up our rates and make us pay even more. But if you want to try this tool and compare and potentially score same-day savings, here’s what to do:
- Click the link below and enter your zip code, date of birth, and phone number.
- Answer a few questions about your car’s make and model to get matched with top offers.
- Choose the best quote for you and lock it in before rates go up.
Compare rates now and see if you could score same-day savings today!
I can hardly believe I waited so long to do this, but I’m glad I finally did. It only took me two minutes. Super fast. You have to trust me on this. Just try it out.
Ohio homeowners borrow from your home’s equity
HELOCs are experiencing a resurgence among credit-worthy homeowners, who see them as a cost-effective way to eliminate high-interest debt or finance home improvements.
The best part is you can actually keep your current mortgage rate by getting a HELOC with this genius product! No hassle.
See if you qualify!3 <p>All mortgage lending conducted by Upstart Mortgage, LLC. NMLS #2443873. Equal Housing Opportunity.</p>
How to get started:
- Check out Upstart Mortgage at the link below.
- Answer a few questions about your home.
- See if you qualify and get your personalized rate and payment.
Understanding different types of debt products
- Balance Transfer: A balance transfer credit card offers an introductory 0% APR on existing high-interest balances you transfer over. This allows you to pay down your balance during the intro period without accruing more interest. You typically need at least good credit to be approved, and must be disciplined to avoid accumulating a high balance on your new card.
- Debt Consolidation: This is typically achieved with a personal loan or home equity product. You could pay off all your existing debts with the new loan, meaning you’ll only need to manage one monthly payment, potentially with a lower interest rate.
- Debt Settlement: If you qualify, debt relief companies will negotiate with creditors on your behalf to potentially reduce the total amount you owe. You typically will need to make monthly payments to the debt relief company to be used to pay down your remaining debt.
Don’t pay a CENT to contractors for home repairs until you do this (see if you qualify)
Sounds crazy. And maybe you’re not even sure if this is real. But … you’re probably curious anyway. If you live in Ohio and own your home, Choice Home Warranty could make it so you don’t have to pay $1,000s on home repairs anymore.
They’ve been around since 2008 (so you know they’re legit) and they offer affordable plans to cover appliances and systems in your home that could break down. Just make your claim online or give them a call. Their team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.4 <p>CHW reserves the right to offer cash back in lieu of repair or replacement in the amount of CHW's actual cost (which at times may be less than retail) to repair or replace any covered system, component or appliance. In the event that CHW makes such payment, CHW will provide written notification of the basis for the amount of the payment. First Month Free with purchase of any single payment home warranty plan. The product being offered is a service contract and is separate and distinct from any product or service warranty which may be provided by the home builder or manufacturer.</p>
Choose a plan here and you could still lock in their ultra-low 2025 rates for a limited time. You could tap into immense savings for nearly any system or appliance in your home that’s covered.
Not everyone is eligible for this plan so here’s how to check:
- Click the link below and enter your zip code.
- Answer a few simple questions.
- See if your home qualifies and lock in your rate.
Choose a plan here and and see if you’re eligible for $50 off and 1 month free
P.S. We negotiated a special deal for FinanceBuzz readers who sign up using the link above. Use it this week to get $50 off and 1 month free. We don’t know how long it will last, so take advantage of it today before it disappears.
Get creative with ways to earn or save extra money
- Negotiate Your Bills: You can always try to negotiate with creditors and businesses for a lower price, better rate, or other deals. Ask about available discounts or payment plans, or bring up competitors. A little time and research could go a long way.
- Find Unique Side Hustles: There are a ton of services that can help you earn a little extra cash. You could rent out storage space with Neighbor, walk dogs through Wag, sell advertising space on your car via Wrapify, and more. You just need to look!
- Utilize Free Services: From free college courses on Coursera to free items on Facebook Buy Nothing Groups, there are numerous free services available that you may not be aware of. Also, don’t sleep on your local public library, where you could rent out devices like laptops and tablets, access free entertainment like movies and board games, or find valuable personal and professional growth resources.
Ask this company to help you pay off your late tax debt
Past-due tax debt is overwhelming.
It weighs on your mind and causes massive anxiety. You end up emotionally and physically drained. Even worse when the IRS starts sending letters threatening wage garnishment and huge fines.
Alleviate Tax is designed specifically to help you get out of tax debt faster and could reduce some of the debt you owe.
While most tax companies just put you on a payment plan and file your taxes for you, Alleviate Tax talks to the IRS directly. They can help you pay off your tax debt faster while potentially reducing what you owe.
Important: Not everyone will qualify. To take advantage of this special program you must owe more than $10,000 in past-due taxes.
Get up to $600,000 from your home (no monthly payments ever)
This is really cool. If you own a home and want to take equity out (to pay down debt or fund home renovations, for example) you can — but usually, you have to make payments each month. This company gets rid of that.
It sounds crazy, but it’s called Point, and it lets you take money out of your home right now without making monthly payments.5 <p>Point partners with and invests alongside the homeowner in the property. Subject to underwriting approval, Point will pay you an upfront, lump sum amount in exchange for a portion of your home’s future appreciation. Future appreciation is based on using the risk adjusted Appreciation Starting Value and calculating any gain or loss based on the final appraised value of your home at the time of exit. Point charges up to a 3.9% processing fee (subject to a $2,000 minimum) and other third party paid closing costs such as appraisal, escrow, and government fees. The term is 30 years. Point will place a lien on your home to secure performance of the underlying agreement. There are no monthly payments or interest accrual. Homeowner’s repayment amount is based on the future value of the subject property at the time of exit, as outlined in the underlying agreement.</p> It's called a home equity investment (HEI), and it’s a partnership with you and Point where you get money now in return for a portion of your home’s future appreciation in value.
Point can give you access to up to $600,000, but you can take what you need based on what you qualify for. You can also leave the partnership at any time by buying back your equity. To get started, go to their website, enter your address, and put in the amount you need. It’s incredible.
Stop getting ripped off by credit card interest
If you have credit card debt, you know that paying your bill each month is anxiety-inducing … and sometimes close to impossible with what you have in the bank.
But … credit card companies couldn’t care LESS. They’ll make money off you either way. And with an average APR close to 25%, the credit card companies just keep getting richer and richer.
If that’s you, a company called LendingTree wants to help. If you owe less than $100,000 in credit card debt and have built up equity in your home, LendingTree can match you with loan providers that could help you pay off your credit card debt almost instantly.
Think about it this way: $25,000 in credit card debt at 25% APR will cost you $518.83 every single month in interest alone. But, with a rate as low as 6.40% APR (possible through LendingTree), you’d only pay $94.69 interest.
That’s over $400 a month you’d get to keep for yourself! Even better, you don’t need a perfect credit score, and checking your loan options won’t affect your credit.
Truthfully, this company exists to help you get ahead in life. They have an Excellent rating on Trustpilot from over 2,000 verified reviews, and you can see your options in a matter of minutes. It’s certainly worth a shot if you’re feeling suffocated by debt.
To get started lowering your debt payments:
- Check out LendingTree’s matching tool.
- Answer a few questions.
- Be matched with personalized offers for you.
Save potentially $1,000 or more on home insurance
If you want better or more affordable home insurance, there is ONE thing you should never skip in the process of finding a policy: Getting multiple options from a variety of home insurance providers.
Too many homeowners skip this step — not realizing that they could save potentially $1,000s over the lifetime of owning their house just by switching. And yes, you can switch your home insurance at any time.
Provide Home Insurance is a company that matches you with home insurance options from a variety of lenders to meet your home insurance needs … including lower overall cost or better overall coverage.
Just answer a few questions, and they will find options that are right for you. And heads up — the insurance company you choose may call you. Do NOT ignore the call, as they want to work with you to find the best rate possible.