Today millions of Americans find themselves deep in credit card debt. In some cases it’s because someone in the family lost their job and using the credit card was the only way to survive for a while. In other cases, it’s due to poor money management on the part of the credit card holder spending beyond their means. Whatever the cause, once you get into credit card debt, it’s hard to get out of.

One answer that a lot folks use to reduce credit card debtis to go through a credit consolidation company. Although not necessarily the best of solutions, it’s likewise not the worst. For a lot of people, particularly those who seem to have too many credit cards to handle, the primary benefit that a credit consolidation organization offers is that they only have to remember to pay one bill a month. The second benefit that many companies provide is to get the interest rates lowered on your credit cards and, if you’re deep into debt, to maybe even get a portion of the interest waived.

It’s worth noting that there is nothing magic about either of these actions. You could easily contact the credit card companies yourself and do your own negotiation. For those that feel uncomfortable negotiating or who are out of their debt when talking about financial issues, however, a debt consolidation company may be the right call for them. In fact, some debt consolidation agencies have built up such a good reputation in the field that they have personal contacts at various credit card companies that make it easier for them to set up new terms and payment arrangements for you without having to go through a learning curve.

Using a debt consolidation company can be a legitimate way to try to pay off your credit card debts. Unfortunately, however, for every honest debt consolidation company in the market, there are dozens of scam consolidation agencies looking to part you from your money. When hiring one to work for you, just be sure that the company you are working with is both reputable and credible.