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

Can paying off debt hurt your credit score? Often it helps by lowering utilization, but closing a card or clearing a loan can cause a short 10- to 30-point dip.

Learn how to pay off multiple credit cards strategically: use the snowball or avalanche method, or consolidate with a balance transfer or personal loan.

See how to pay off $20,000 in credit card debt with real-dollar plans and payoff timelines: balance transfer, personal loan, DMP or avalanche method.

Whether you can actually buy a home while carrying credit card debt depends on several factors. Here's what you need to know.