The percentage of people who own at least one credit card increases every year but there again, credit card debt is also at a record high as well; this situation is the result of years of easy living on credit. People now owe thousands to finance companies because they do not realize they are spending beyond their means and by the time they do come to realize, the damage is already done. It now remains for each individual to realize what a position they are in and find some way to obtain credit card debt relief.

The first thing to do before opting for financial help is to stop using the card all together because if this doesn't happen it will be almost impossible to devise a debt relief plan. This fist stage is the most difficult but once the decision has been made it is then just a matter of looking at all the credit card debt relief options available. Whilst there are a number of debt consolidation options, the three mentioned below are the most common used for people in similar situations - fast out of debt.

The most obvious move to start with is where the debtor is in a position to pay back the debt; they can opt for debt consolidation with a credit card that charges low interest and clear off the single debt in installments every month. Alternatively a person can consolidate their debt with the help of a low interest loan and then decide how much money it will be possible to pay off each month.

This option does require a certain level of commitment on the debtor's part as once the debts are clear there must be no temptation to use them again. Debt consolidation does require that the debtor is still able to access credit and that they will have sufficient funds to repay the loan.

The next step if their credit history will not allow credit card debt relief is to use the services of a debt relief agency that can negotiate paying the debt off. They will normally suggest a sum of around half the debt be paid off with the remaining amount canceled by the creditors.

Bankruptcy should always be viewed as a last resort when all other options have been tried as there are serious consequences to this course of action. The debts may be clear but they will find it hard to get any form of credit for a long time and will have to rebuild their credit history from scratch although it does enable them to have a fresh start. Once your debts have been cleared, hopefully you will learn to be more responsible and not require debt relief from your credit cards ever again.