Here are a few suggestions on researching easy credit card consolidation:

- Most consolidation providers are also obliged to offer counselling to their clients. So, if the lender dealing with you does not mention assigning a credit counsellor, you should prompt them. A credit counsellor can make an important contribution to cleaning up your financial mess.

- You can also take out a line of credit in order to consolidate your debts. The only real difference between this and a second credit card debt consolidation is that it operates like a credit card. Plus it tends to have an adjustable rate that can travel up and down a little over time. This is a possible alternative to use to consolidate your debts.

- Get a copy of your credit report. Call for a fresh transcript annually to ascertain that there are no mistakes even if you trust you have a top notch rating. If you find a error, get hold of the credit bureaux immediately by letter to request that item be removed. You should also contact the creditor that supplied the false data to the credit bureau as well, and make them change it. Beware of challenging _true_ items in your credit report. Also beware of disputing a mistake or debt that is nearly seven years old (or whatever time it takes for items to be cleared, locally, from your credit record). Your debt may have been sold off to a debt-chasing firm, and your harassing them will make your case 'live' again, and may provoke them into coming after you. Let sleeping dogs lie!

- There are also companies out there who will give you an unsecured credit card consolidation in spite of your credit and work history, if you need a clean slate. Instead of a long line of creditors telephoning and sending off letters and nonstop reminders that you owe money, you have one obligation, one periodical payment.

- Imagine the long-term savings just by eradicating late and over-limit fees. Be aware, though, that providers attach higher interest rates to unsecured credit card consolidations. They take a larger risk when they lend money without security, and to counterbalance their interest rates will be higher than on consolidations with collateral. Consolidation amounts by necessity are therefore limited to lower amounts. Depending on the provider, the limit on the amount they will lend may be as modest as 1,000 smackers or as high as 20,000 quid.

- The amount of debt and the consolidation term figure prominently into the equation. As an example, consider a debt with a relatively short term of five years and one with a lower rate but a much longer term. In this case, if the term of the credit card consolidation is ten years the repayment of the original debt would be stretched out at an interest rate which is only slightly lower than your original rate. In this case it's clear the borrower might end up paying much more in the long run. This kind of decision forces the customer to settle whether overall savings or lower monthly repayments is more fundamental.

- When comparison browsing for the most favorable rates, customers ought to make it well known that they are shopping around for rate quotations and are not making a decision right away. Firms who know they have some competition may be more likely to offer a lower interest rate than they would if they did not think the client was considering other options. Just like a plumber could offer his most competitive rate if he knows the client is seeking estimates from a number of different plumbers, providers are apt to do the same. Some companies may think the applicant is bluffing and may not offer the best rate initially. However, if the client rejects the offer and states they have a better offer with another lender, the first provider may be enticed to offer an even lower interest rate just to see if they can sway the borrower.

- Consolidation can be used to clear up any number of debts incurred by a borrower in several formats; these can all be put together into a single borrowing normally with a trimmed back periodic payment. This naturally reduces the problems of organising diverse payments each month, and may save you money as well as time if you get a good rate.

I hope these few handy pointers will be of some use to you in finding simple credit debt consolidation.

About the author: Niccolo Svengali is an author for credit card consolidation and credit card debt elimination internet sites in London.