If mounting credit card debt is becoming too much for you to afford then perhaps it’s time to turn to non profit credit consolidation to help you become debt free. While millions of Americans face credit card debt that has suddenly become unaffordable for various reasons, there are alternatives available that are specifically designed to help them.

These non profit organizations have been created to help consumers with credit card consolidation for little or no fee. The name of the organization usually has some religious affiliation such as Christian credit consolidation service. Individuals who use such organizations will find that they offer credit counseling and perhaps some spiritual counseling as well.

Over the last several years more and more people have begun to face an unmanageable debt load. As a result over 1000 debt consolidation companies now assist as many as 400,000 Americans deal with this problem. Most of the debt these individuals have are as a result of maxed out credit cards and medical bills that they can’t afford to pay.

Many of these credit consolidation companies are non profit organizations and file as non profit status or IRS 501 (c)(3) for tax purposes. They act as an intermediary between the creditor and debtor to help create a situation where the person in debt can manage their monthly payments. They are frequently able to have the interest rates lowered and penalties and fees erased. The credit consolidation companies and the credit card companies have developed a working relationship that has become very effective.

A nonprofit credit consolidation company will work out a payment plan that is acceptable to both the individual and the credit card company. Then the individual only has to make one monthly payment to credit consolidation company who then pays the credit card companies or other creditors on behalf of the individual. It is an arrangement that seems to work well to help people pay off their debt.

The advantage for the consumer is that they now have a single monthly payment to make that is not only affordable to them but is also much easier to manage than making several payments to various creditors each and every month. The credit card companies are agreeable because they know that the consumers that owe the money are close to not being able to afford their payments and may very well go into default, in which case they would get nothing.

It is important to make sure that the non profit credit consolidation service is reputable and that can be done by checking them through the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and by questioning them personally so that it is understood exactly how their service operates. It is equally important to understand the fees and responsibilities that the debtor has before entering into a working relationship.