Interest Charges on credit cards

[x799sej]

I have been having difficulty with my credit card payments so I have offered to pay a lesser amonut than what is needed but all I can afford as that is what the cab has instructed me to do. They have also told me to ask the card companies to freeze the interest on these accounts as it is making my total owed go up more and more each month. Is it ok to ask this and what are the chances they are likely to do as I ask as it is making my debt situation much worse than it was to start with.

[barry1010]

It is okay to ask, but of course the credit company doesn't have to do it.
Before you call the company, have to hand a list of all your income and outgoings so they can see that you really are trying to pay off your debts.

[Hazel104]

Have a look at this website, it is really helpful with example letters etc and helps you work out exactly what you can pay/live on etc. They are completely impartial as well as they are not trying to sell you anything!

http://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk/

[x799sej]

Thanks I have looked on that site and they are really helpful I have done previously what they have said to do but my main problem is with barclaycard and they keep sending me letters saying different things. So I never know where I stand with them and they have ordered a debt collection agency called mercer to come round to my home which is really upsetting me as I am not refusing to pay them i just cant afford what they want. I only owe the �500 and I have offered �20 a month that's all I can afford at the moment but they keep adding more interest late fees and over limit fees. I only owed them half of the above total but it keeps growing because of all these add ons. I am at my wits end with all of this

[NiceCupOfTea]

I really feel for you as I was in a similar situation when I was on maternity pay and told my creditors I couldn't pay them my usual full wack until I was back in work six months later. My current account and my credit card were both with the same bank, HSBC, not Barclays as in your case, but they were completely unsympathetic and ignored all of my offers of reduced payments.

CAB advised me that as they were ignoring me to stop paying them altogether. I switched bank accounts so my income was not into my HSBC account anymore as they kept taking and returning the credit card payments from my current account, and then charging me �30 a pop when I didn�t have enough in my account to pay the credit card! That soon stopped.

They never actually approached me via bailiffs, it has to be said, but I was writing to them weekly and visiting them weekly to see if there were any updates on my offers of reduced payments. Eventually they sent me their own sort of income / payment plan form that I completed and returned with my estimate of what I could afford to pay them monthly.

They responded within the week.