Consolidation

• If your credit card debt is scattered among many cards, some of which have high interest rates, consolidate the debt onto one card. See if your lowest interest card will raise your credit line enough to allow you to transfer your other accounts onto that card. If not, apply for a low interest card to use for the consolidation. You may be able to find a card that offers special incentives for balance transfers, such as zero percent interest for a certain introductory period. If you cannot consolidate your debt, call each individual card and see if the issuer is willing to lower your interest rate. If you have had an account for a long time and have been a good customer, the issuer may do it on request.
  
  

Payments

• If you are making the minimum monthly payment, most of your money probably is going toward interest. If you always stick to the minimum amount, your actual balance will go down very slowly. For example, if you have a credit card with a 12 percent interest rate and a $5,000 balance, $50 of your payment is going for interest each month. Pay as much as possible toward the cards with the highest interest to get the balance down as quickly as possible.
  
  

Spending

• You cannot pay off your credit card debt if you keep creating more. Cut up all your credit cards and do no charge anything while you are focused on reducing your debt. Keep one card for emergencies, but lock it away so it is not easily accessible. Don't close your accounts, as that can lower your credit rating. Simply destroy the cards and stop using them until you have paid off your debt.
  
  

Savings

• Find small ways to save money so you can boost your credit card payments as much as possible. Lucy Lazarony of Bankrate recommends such strategies as taking lunch to work rather than buying it, renting movies rather than going to the theater and shopping at second-hand stores or dollar stores. Keep track of the money you save each month and apply it directly to the credit card with the highest interest rate.
  
  

Fees

• Avoid paying extra fees on your credit cards that reduce the amount of money going toward the actual balance. The Not Made of Money financial blog says you should make your payments on time to avoid late payment fees. If there is an annual fee on your credit cards, call the issuer and ask to waive it. If the issuer refuses, transfer the balance to a no-fee card if you can and close the fee-charging account. Even though closing accounts can lower your credit score, the effect closing one or two accounts will be negligible. It will be offset by the benefits of saving money each year.