photo credit: Vincent Boiteau

A common question asked by people looking for student debt help is “Should I pay off my credit cards or my student loans first?”

This is a tricky question, and the answer depends upon a number of factors, including;

* The rate of APR on your credit card and your student debt

* The repayment terms

So lets look at a typical student debt help example. Let’s say your credit card debt costs you 7.9% APR, while your student loan costs perhaps 3% APR.

In that situation it makes sense to pay the minimum towards your student loan and put the rest of your money towards repaying your credit card debt. As long as the interest rate on your credit card debt is higher than on your student loan, focus on clearing your credit card debt first. Over the long run, that will reduce the total amount of interest that you have to pay on your debt.

But what if the situation changes?

What if the interest on your student debt starts to creep up, and you find an amazing credit card deal? What do you do if your credit card costs 2.9% APR while your student debt stands at 4.9% APR?

Let’s look at the advantages and disadvantages of the various student debt help options;

1) Focus on the credit card debt

IDEA: Continue paying both debts individually, making the minimum payment to your student debt while putting the rest of your cash towards your credit card. Once the credit card is repaid, use all of your income to repay your student loan.

REALITY: As long as the interest rate on your student loan is higher than your credit card, this option will cost you slightly more interest in the long run. But this remains the safest option. As you’ll see below (option 4), it’s generally much safer to owe money on a student loan than it is to owe money on a credit card.

2) Focus on both debts equally

photo credit: [[^Fénix^]]

IDEA: Continue paying both debts individually, but focus on repaying both of them at an equal pace.

REALITY: This is similar to option 1 above, the only difference being that it will cost you slightly less interest while the rate on the student loan is higher than the credit card debt.

3) Focus on the student debt

IDEA: Continue paying both debts individually, making the minimum payment to your credit card while putting the rest of your cash towards your student loan. Once your student loan is repaid, use all of your income to repay your remaining credit card debt.

REALITY: This option is just the reverse of option 1, but takes advantage of the fact that in our new example the student debt suffers interest at a higher rate. It will help you to save money on interest payments for as long as the rate of interest on your student debt is higher than on your credit card deal.

But it will remove more of your debt from the relatively save environment of a student loan at the same time as leaving more of your debt at the mercy of the commercial lending sector (this isn’t always the best option, as shown below).

4) Consolidate

IDEA: Transfer the entire balance of your student loan to your credit card to take advantage of the lower APR. Using our new example, this would reduce the rate of interest on your student loan from 4.9% APR to the 2.9% APR offered by your credit card deal.

REALITY: This could be a risky option. Okay, at present is might allow you to save a small amount of interest on your total debt, but you have to consider the differences between credit card companies and student loan providers.

Most student loan schemes are run by government agencies or educational authorities. This might sound hard to believe but outright profit is not their number one aim. And because many of these schemes are government subsidised, they often have extremely good repayment terms. Often far better than the best credit cards on the market. And they don’t usually impose such harsh penalties if you are late with a repayment.

In contrast, credit card companies exist to make money. The more money that they can draw out of their customers the happier their shareholders. So before you transfer your student debt to a credit card, you must think long and hard about it, because it’s a one time only decision. In most countries, once you’ve repaid a student loan, you can’t re-borrow the money.

How long will this low rate of 2.9% APR on your credit card last? Is it just an introductory offer that will last a few months and then revert to a much high rate of interest? Are there any penalties or restrictions in the small print.

And what if you miss a repayment? Most credit card companies will charge you a hefty fee if make a late repayment. And as if that’s not enough, some will even transfer your debt to a much higher rate of interest just because you miss a repayment. So if either of these things happen it would wipe out all your potential savings immediately. And there would be nothing that you could do about it.

Other issues to consider; Filling up your credit card with student debt could affect your credit rating. In some countries, interest paid on student loans can be used to reduce your income for tax purposes (you can’t do that with a credit card). The psychological issue – would you rather have two smaller loans or one large loan? Some people find it harder to get motivated when the task ahead of them appears to be larger.

Transfering student debt to a credit card could help you to save money but only if you make sure every payment is made on time and that you are committed to paying off the debt before the special offer interest rate ends. But it’s a big risk and there’s no way back if you run into problems.

Of all the options, when you have to choose between repaying credit card debt or a student loan, it’s usually cheapest and almost always safest to focus on repaying your credit card debt first.

by Stuart Laing

Copyright (c) Get Out Of Debt.

Have you been struggling with debt for as long as you can remember? Are you ready to do something about it? Visit http://www.icanhelpyougetoutofdebt.com for free, impartial information on how to reduce debt.

photo credit: karpov the wrecked train

You graduated and now your student loan is due. The job hasn’t come through yet, or you are just in over your head. What can you do about that student loan?

Before you enter the default stage, relax and review your options. Realize that you aren’t alone. Unfortunately, since so many former students default on their loans each year, the Department of Education has a well-oiled process of collecting payments from those who default.

If you just stop paying, or never begin making payments when they are due, you can expect the Department of Education to take action to collect your student loan. There are several drawbacks to procrastinating. First, they will add substantial collection fees to your outstanding balance. You owe enough already, but they are going to want extra to track you down and force you to pay.

The IRS works closely with the Department of Education, and they’ll take any tax refund that you might be due. That’s right, they’ll turn it over to the Department of Education without a second thought.

Finally, once you do get a job, they can garnish your wages. Not only will they get the collection fees and hit your take home pay, but your employer will know you defaulted on your loans as well.

If you default, your credit will be damaged. This will prevent you from getting the best available financing deals, a mortgage and possibly even a job.

Want to avoid all that hassle? First, realize that you do have options. Shirking your responsibilities should be the last option. Contact an Ombudsman at the Department of Education (877-577-2575). Review your options and choose one that you can live with.

photo credit: mynameisharsha

You may be able to defer your loans. This program allows you to defer, or put off, payments on principal, interest or both under some conditions. If you’re out of work but looking for a job, experiencing a financial hardship or going back to school you may be able to put off paying for awhile. You must apply and be approved, so be proactive and request the paperwork from your lender before you find yourself in default.

Most loans have a provision for cancellation. However, canceling a student loan is very difficult. If you meet one of the requirements you can apply for a cancellation by completing a form provided by your lender. Some of the qualifications include total disability, either permanent or temporary, death, providing instruction or other services to needy populations or entering a rehabilitation program for your disability. Serving in one of the armed forces may also allow you to cancel your student loans under certain circumstances. Cancellations are hard to obtain and will always require documentation of your condition or situation.

If you find yourself in extreme circumstances, student loans can be discharged through certain types of bankruptcy. However, you must be able to prove that if you repaid the loan you would suffer severe financial difficulty, and most student loans can only be discharged through Chapter 13 bankruptcies in which you must repay a portion of your debt (usually pennies on the dollar).

Whatever your situation, deal with your student loan problem before it enters default. Whatever choice you make, don’t ignore the problem. It won’t go away, it’ll only get bigger. Contact the Ombudsman at the Department of Education or your lender before you find yourself in default.You graduated and now your student loan is due. The job hasn’t come through yet, or you are just in over your head. What can you do about that student loan?

Before you enter the default stage, relax and review your options. Realize that you aren’t alone. Unfortunately, since so many former students default on their loans each year, the Department of Education has a well-oiled process of collecting payments from those who default.

If you just stop paying, or never begin making payments when they are due, you can expect the Department of Education to take action to collect your student loan. There are several drawbacks to procrastinating. First, they will add substantial collection fees to your outstanding balance. You owe enough already, but they are going to want extra to track you down and force you to pay.

The IRS works closely with the Department of Education, and they’ll take any tax refund that you might be due. That’s right, they’ll turn it over to the Department of Education without a second thought.

Finally, once you do get a job, they can garnish your wages. Not only will they get the collection fees and hit your take home pay, but your employer will know you defaulted on your loans as well.

If you default, your credit will be damaged. This will prevent you from getting the best available financing deals, a mortgage and possibly even a job.

Want to avoid all that hassle? First, realize that you do have options. Shirking your responsibilities should be the last option. Contact an Ombudsman at the Department of Education (877-577-2575). Review your options and choose one that you can live with.

You may be able to defer your loans. This program allows you to defer, or put off, payments on principal, interest or both under some conditions. If you’re out of work but looking for a job, experiencing a financial hardship or going back to school you may be able to put off paying for awhile. You must apply and be approved, so be proactive and request the paperwork from your lender before you find yourself in default.

Most loans have a provision for cancellation. However, canceling a student loan is very difficult. If you meet one of the requirements you can apply for a cancellation by completing a form provided by your lender. Some of the qualifications include total disability, either permanent or temporary, death, providing instruction or other services to needy populations or entering a rehabilitation program for your disability. Serving in one of the armed forces may also allow you to cancel your student loans under certain circumstances. Cancellations are hard to obtain and will always require documentation of your condition or situation.

If you find yourself in extreme circumstances, student loans can be discharged through certain types of bankruptcy. However, you must be able to prove that if you repaid the loan you would suffer severe financial difficulty, and most student loans can only be discharged through Chapter 13 bankruptcies in which you must repay a portion of your debt (usually pennies on the dollar).

Whatever your situation, deal with your student loan problem before it enters default. Whatever choice you make, don’t ignore the problem. It won’t go away, it’ll only get bigger. Contact the Ombudsman at the Department of Education or your lender before you find yourself in default.

Jay Moncliff is the founder of http://www.saving-loans.com, a website specialized on Loan resources and articles. This site provides updated information on Loan. For more info visit his site: Loan

photo credit: Vincent Boiteau

How many of you are biting your nails trying to figure out what you should do to get your college paid for? You know you need a loan… but what kind? What are the differences? Would it be a good idea to refinance or consolidate any loans you already have? Is this the right time? How much do you really need? What do college loans cover? If you’re wondering about these things, please read on.

Before you run out and get a college loan, you first need to know how much of a loan you are going to need. Of course, the obvious part of the loan is your tuition and the cost of your courses. But there are many other things that you may need to have covered through your college loan. This can be your room and board, school supplies, lab supplies, books, etc. But this just pertains to your actual schooling. There are other things you need to take into consideration. This can be car insurance, gas, transportation, health insurance, food, etc. You need to add all of these factors up for each year. Then, multiply it by how many years you are to be in college. This will give you a rough estimate of how much money you will need.

Some college loans can be used for anything. The lender couldn’t care less as long as you pay it back. If you plan on getting a part time job, you can count on part of your paycheck being used towards things that your college loan does not cover. However remember you’ll need to keep part of your paycheck to pay your monthly college loan payment!

Now we shall go over the several types of college loans out there. A little later, I will explain about refinancing a college loan.

First, we will go over federal student loans.
These college loans can either be subsidized or unsubsidized.

Subsidized loans are when the government pays the interest of the loan for the students. You must show that you are in great financial need in order to get this type of loan.

Unsubsidized loans are when the student must pay the interest, but the interest is not deferred until after graduation. Anyone can get an unsubsidized loan. Both of these types of federal student loans are the most commonly used.

The next are private student loans. Private student loans are given to someone with a good credit score. They can be used for anything, not just the cost of tuition. They are also unsecured. This means they require no collateral, but they have extremely high interest rates.

Now, we go to for parent loans. As you guessed, this is a loan that parents can take for the full amount of the college tuition. You just have to hope mommy and daddy are willing to do this for you! The payoff rate and interest rate is much lower with this type of loan, often because parents have good credit and the funds to pay the loan off.

photo credit: Vincent Boiteau

Now we come to consolidation loans. This type of loan is used to consolidate all of a student’s loans together so they can be paid off in one easy payment plan to one lender, rather than having several payments to several lenders. Many students end up getting this type of college loan after they made the mistake of getting too many college loans at once.

Those of you, who do already have a loan, may be interested in refinancing. Refinancing college loans often seems like a good idea, and it is…if you use it to your advantage. I’ll explain that in a minute. First, you need to understand a few things. Most college loans are of a variable percentage rate until the rate is locked. You lock a rate by means of a loan consolidation or by refinancing. When rates are very low, it generally is a good idea to attempt to get your loans or loan consolidated or refinanced.

Before you can even think of refinancing, you must know that is only offered to you good people that have always made their monthly loan payment on time. If this does not sound like you, then I wish you good luck trying to refinance!

Refinancing rates are usually one or two percent lower than your original college loan rate. Refinancing rates can save you up to 60 percent. But this is where the possible drawback is – and most people simply don’t realize.

The “drawback” is a hidden one – that most people never see. In order to get your college loan payment lower through refinancing, you are given a much longer time period to pay the loan off. Instead of 5 years to pay it off, it can turn into 20 years to pay it off! This may sound good to you in the beginning. At the time, it will leave you with extra money that you may be in need of for other bills. But in the long run, it just costs you more money because you will be paying interest much longer to the lender. In fact, it can cost you thousands more!

The smart way to do it is after you refinance and obtain the lower rate; pay more towards the monthly bill. This way you will pay off your loan much quicker than normal and at a cheaper rate. But only put more towards paying it off when you can afford it. Remember you refinanced your college loan because you couldn’t afford the payment to begin with. So now you’ve refinanced just pay off your loan as best you can at your own pace, bearing the above in mind.

I hope I didn’t scare you too much. The important thing you have to remember is that most lenders gain money from you through the interest you pay them. If you pay your college loan off faster, you will make the lender less rich! Take a breather and use your head before you jump into anything.

In other words “look before you leap”.

© Luke Sharp 2005

Luke Sharp is a valued member of the “Online Refinance” team. After the “Luke Sharp treatment” complicated subjects seem clearer. See more articles,”poemicles”, and lots of info on refinance at http://www.onlinerefinance.net