That’s because a bad credit debt consolidation loan can make as much sense for them as it can for you.

You see the banks really don’t care about you. I know, that came as a surprise right? But they do care about themselves – second surprise! So they might be happy to make a loan to help sort out your bad credit. Debt consolidation loan is just another way of saying refinancing of course. And the reality of that is the bank will take the money you already owe them and spread the payments over a longer period.

Now what happens is that because the money they are lending you is outstanding for a longer amount of time they can charge you more interest. See what I meant when I said they don’t care about you?

Of course from your point of view you are probably going to be benefiting by having lower repayments, less worry and you’ll get your credit history back on track. So it’s win-win.

Now to actually get a bad credit debt consolidation loan you’re going to have to convince the bank or loan company that they really are going to be benefiting. Just telling them that they will make more money in the long run won’t cut it. You need to present a well thought out case as to why it makes sense to consolidate your existing loans.

You need to sit down and work out a plan before you even think of contacting them. In that plan you need to be able to tell them how your bad credit came about. Was it a problem with your job? Was it down to ill health? You also need to explain what has changed now and how you will be able to meet the new payments.

Try not to be over optimistic here. And for goodness sake tell them the truth, if you don’t they will almost certainly find out and you’ll fail. They’re trained to spot lying by applicants.

The secret to success is having a good, well-though out reason why they should grant you a bad debt consolidation loan.

And it’s not just the monthly savings that are appealing. The overall cost can be very substantial too. Of course you need to check the figures for yourself don’t go making assumptions as everyone is different.

You need to calculate how much paying your credit cards off at the minimum rate will cost you. There are a number of internet based sites that will allow you to put in your figures and will then spit out the answer for you. Be prepared for a shock though! It’s almost certainly going to be far higher than you first imagined.

Once you’ve got that figure you need to work out the cost of your consolidation loan. At least with that you will have a rough idea in advance. All you have to do is multiply the monthly repayment by the term of the loan. Having done that it is simply a case of taking the bill consolidation figure from the credit card cost. Voila! You have got the amount you will save overall.

That of course is just the start. You’ve got a ball park figure but you want to know the best don’t you? That’s where shopping around comes in.

Just like any other loan a credit card consolidation loan comes with different interest rates and it’s your job to find the most competitive. After this is your money and if you won’t fight for it you can hardly expect anyone else to do it for you!

The best place to start is on the internet. You can quickly find and compare a huge number of banks and loan companies to sniff out the best rate for you. Don’t just go to their sites though. Look for some of the magazines and comparison sites they will give you lenders you probably wouldn’t have thought of.

Once you’re armed with these figures you can start to call the companies on the phone and see what they’ll offer you. Do this well and you will get yourself an outstanding credit card bill consolidation.