Credit Card Debt: How To Manage, Consolidate and Pay Off Balances

When you use a credit card to make purchases, you’re borrowing money from the card issuer and agreeing to pay it back, often with interest.

The exact dollar amount of unmanageable credit card debt varies. The biggest signs are your credit utilization and debt-to-income ratio.

True credit card debt forgiveness is rare. Learn how debt settlement and bankruptcy work, who qualifies and the credit and tax tradeoffs involved.

Whether you're liable for a spouse's credit card debt depends on your state. See how death, divorce and community property laws affect who pays.