Name: Consolidated Credit
Rating: 4.9

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The Good

Years of Industry Experience
Consolidated Credit Cost
Great Interest Rates: Consolidate Credit Card Debt at 0—11 Percent
Available to All
Accredited Company; Certified Staff
Positive Customer Reviews

Years of Industry Experience

Consolidated Credit is one of the oldest names in the industry, having accumulated nearly 30 years in business. During that time, it has built a reputation for total professionalism, offering CPFC-certified debt counselors and free debt consultations for potential clients.

Unlike debt consolidation companies offering personal loans, Consolidated Credit is a credit counseling agency. The company’s certified credit counselors perform a free evaluation to help determine the best debt relief option for each potential client.

Consolidated Credit counselors conduct a counseling sesion where they review the client’s current financial situation, credit report (credit history and credit score), and budget. This first credit counseling session can provide debt management strategies (e.g. making more than the minimum payments on your credit cards), budget advice, and ideas to improve bad credit and eliminate debt.

If a debt management plan is the best solution, the company will design a repayment plan to fit the unique needs of the client. A debt management program is a great alternative to debt settlement and debt consolidation loans while providing affordable monthly payments.

The customization of Consolidated Credit means that each client’s specific needs will be addressed and clients are helped in meaningful ways.

Consolidated Credit Cost

Many consolidation companies charge an enrollment fee and a monthly fee for their services. Consolidated Credit charges an upfront fee of $0 to $49 — this is a one-time, account set-up fee. Consolidated Credit also charges a monthly fee of between $0 and $9 depending upon debt amounts, number of creditors, state regulations and budget constraints.

Consolidated Credit also bases its monthly fees on what a client can afford. Some clients may qualify to pay no monthly fee.

Debt management is a government-regulated industry. As a result, most companies charge similar prices, though fees vary by state. Consolidated Credit is no different.

Great Interest Rates: Consolidate Credit Card Debt at an Average of 0–11 Percent

The interest rates that Consolidated Credit can arrange with lenders, including credit card companies, are less regulated. The company works with creditors to help clients achieve the best possible deal.

The company claims to get credit card interest rates down to an average of 0–11 percent APR — one of the lowest rates in the industry. These lower rates equate to a smaller overall payment for credit card debt and less interest.

Available to All

Each state has its own unique debt consolidation rules. For this reason, not all consolidation companies have their services available nationwide.

Consolidated Credit follows the state laws in every state, and its counseling services are available to people struggling with unsecured debt in every U.S. state. Consolidated Credit works to help people understand the best ways to manage their debt and what their consolidation options are.

Accredited Company; Certified Staff

The company is ISO certified and is accredited with the FCAA (Financial Counseling Association of America).

Gary Herman, the president of Consolidated Credit, has been working with the company for over 20 years. He has training as a certified credit counselor and is also a member of the FCAA, which is an important organization that ensures companies offer the best debt relief.

Positive Customer Reviews

Consolidated Credit reviews frequently cite the staff's professionalism and overall quality customer service. Many of the reviews commended Consolidated Credit for the ease of contact and polite, helpful staff members who guided clients every step of the way.

Some reviews are from users who used the free consultation but did not end up using Consolidated Credit's debt management plan services, yet felt they were able to walk away more knowledgeable about their best course of action after the consultation with a credit counselor.

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What types of debt can someone include in a debt management program?

A debt management program is meant primarily to pay off high-interest rate credit card debt. One of the primary benefits of working with a nonprofit credit counseling agency is that it works with a client’s creditors to reduce or eliminate interest charges applied to the debt. That’s most beneficial with high-interest rate credit card balances. However, it may be possible to include other types of debt, including unsecured personal loans, medical bills, collection accounts, and payday loans.

Which credit cards can be included?

Consolidated Credit works with all major credit card companies, as well as major retailers, banks, and credit unions. In total, the company has established relationships with over 1,600 creditors. A consumer can include general-purpose credit cards, charge cards, gas cards, reward cards, and store cards in the program. Consumers are not required to enroll all their cards in the program. If a client decides to leave a card out, they can add it later during the program.

Is this a loan?

No. A debt management program is like a professionally supported repayment plan. The client still owes their original creditors when they enroll. Clients make one payment to Consolidated Credit each month and that payment gets distributed to their creditors every month on schedule.

Does this credit counseling service pay off credit cards?

Credit cards will be paid-in-full as a client completes the program. However, the credit counseling service itself does not pay off the individual’s credit cards for them. As a client makes monthly payments, Consolidated Credit disburses the funds to creditors on an agreed schedule. As a client makes payments to Consolidated Credit, the balances on their credit cards will decrease over time. Individuals can monitor monthly credit card statements and see the balances getting paid off. These payments will also be noted in the payment history of each account on the consumer’s credit report.

What are the fees?

Receiving a debt and budget evaluation from a certified credit counselor is always free. Consumers can talk to a qualified professional about their situation and ask questions to understand their options for relief. If someone qualifies for a debt management program, there is a one-time setup fee and a small monthly fee rolled into the program payments. Fees for debt management programs are set based on the total debt, budget, and the state where a client lives. They are capped at $79 nationwide, and the average client pays $49.

How does this program affect someone’s credit?

Enrolling in a debt management program does not generate any negative items in a consumer’s credit report. It helps avoid the 7-year to 10-year credit report penalty that you see with solutions like debt settlement and bankruptcy. For most people, completing the program has a positive or neutral credit score effect. While a person is enrolled, they generate positive credit history on all the accounts included in the program. Creditors will generally bring delinquent accounts current once the client makes three payments.

How is the interest rate determined?

When someone enrolls in a debt management program, Consolidated Credit works with each creditor to reduce or eliminate the APR applied to their account balances. On average, rates are reduced to between 0%–11%. This is often much lower than what a client would be able to negotiate with a credit card company if they contacted them individually.

Is this different from debt settlement?

Yes. A debt management program works by paying back everything that someone owes at a reduced interest rate. The principal is paid in full. By contrast, debt settlement only repays a percentage of the principal. Debt settlement also creates negative items in a consumer’s credit report that remain for seven years from the date the remaining balance is discharged. Each account settled will be noted in the consumer’s credit report. A debt management program does not generate any negative items. The payment structure is also very different. While a consumer may make monthly payments on a debt settlement program, those payments are placed into an escrow account to generate the funds necessary to make settlement offers. Creditors are not paid each month, which can lead to missed payments and even greater damage to the consumer’s credit.

What happens if someone can’t make the payments?

We do our best to remain flexible and understand some months there may be an emergency expense or unexpected bills. In these cases we try to delay the payment or communicate with your creditors to help you skip that month. A debt management program is 100% voluntary. If a client drops out of the program, all payments made up to that point will still be credited to their accounts. However, creditors may choose to restore the previous interest rate and reapply any penalties that were stopped when the person enrolled.

Can someone still get a loan (mortgage/auto) while enrolled?

Yes. A debt management program does not prevent someone from getting loans while they are enrolled in the program and paying off debt. It is possible to get approved for loans like a mortgage or an auto loan while enrolled, so there is no need for life to be put on hold while someone is paying off their debt. A client will not be able to get new credit cards while enrolled.

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User Reviews

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4.9

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1,465 Reviews

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Brenda Della Rocca

Well at first they were great calculating my credit cards & giving me a monthly total and they had me sign a contract but then little by little things began to pop up like oh sorry this card won't deal with us or sorry this card wants more money so my original monthly payment that was so great at the beginning turned out not to be so great. My suggestion is to have your co. deal with all the amounts before they have you sign a contract so you exactly what your payments are. My payments have gone up like 5 different times & there are still credit cards that I have to pay on my own

5 years ago

Stacey Hudnall

We had no choice; we started approx. 2 years ago with Consolidated Credit Counseling and were given over to Consolidated Credit Solutions. We were told this should be seamless and if so, I see no future issues with Consolidated Credit Solutions.

5 months ago

Reply from Consolidated Credit

Dear Stacey,
You're in good hands and should notice no changes with your program or customer service. If you ever have questions or need some help, please don't hesitate to contact client services at 877- 201-7780! As time goes on and you see how your service is continuing, we'd appreciate an updated review.

Nov. 3rd, 2024

Patrice Greenville, SC

Customer service communicated really well and were able to negotiate lower payments to get the account status satisfied. The way they operate it was closing down the accounts completely which then caused a reduction on my credit score and that's probably the only thing that really bothered me about the service.

4 years ago

Hi Patrice,
We appreciate the opportunity to assist you. It’s our mission to help people in your situation find solutions to become debt free. If you have any questions or run into any challenges down the road, please don’t hesitate to give us a call. We’re here to help!

Sep. 23rd, 2020

DL Parker

Good but some issues not resolved. It has been a several months and I am still being charged a late fee by my credit card companies. Consolidated credit has not resolved this issue.

Hi DL,
Thanks for letting us assist you. We’re glad we were able to help you set up a debt management program, so you can get on the road to becoming debt free. If you have any questions about the program, please give us a call and we’ll be happy to help. We’re here to be your advocate!

Mar. 17th, 2020

Edwina Stricker Honolulu, HI

Today's call with Aisha was very helpful! I was not aware of the ACH fees, save for the NSF one, and member monthly fees. Other customer service reps, generally speaking, have been helpful. For myself, personally, it's been a bit stressful getting used to the procedures since joining. Especially being new to this whole game. I do think Aisha helped a lot. There was a representative that called me and was not as helpful and the way I was spoken to was disturbing to where I felt I made the wrong decision.

6 years ago

eSKay08 Newington, CT

The purpose for my call was my attempt to resolve a repeat frustration I’ve experienced with CCS, where my creditors did not receive payment on time, and CCS received my payment, but did not apply it to my account or disburse to my creditors, nor informed me of issues with my June payment not received. I don’t hold my frustrations with the company against her. The representative herself was professional, empathetic, helpful and did everything in her part to assist me.

7 years ago

Michelle Harris Beaverton, OR

They really helped me save, although I took a hit in my credit score. I was able to get financing for a new car no problem. The dip in my score was not mentioned when I asked the cons of signing up, so I would have appreciated all the facts so as to make an educated decision. All in all though, I'm glad I use CCC.

Dear Michelle,
Thanks for letting us assist you. We’re glad we were able to help you set up a debt management program, so you can get on the road to becoming debt free. If you have any questions about the program, please give us a call and we’ll be happy to help. We’re here to be your advocate!

Dec. 22nd, 2020

SIERRA M DERBY Pioneer, CA

Was overcharged for final payment, has been 2+ months and I'm still awaiting repayment. Was contacted after publishing review and had money returned via direct deposit. Also was charged for services I did not use or need. Take time to read the fine print.

Rita Risner Mansfield, OH

They pay your payment, but my creditors are always past due and calling me all the time. I think how much I paying them that they should fix it so that there not late. Never going to get paid off.

Hi Rita,

Customer service and client satisfaction are of utmost importance to us and so we regret hearing this. Please call us at 1-877-201-7780. One of our client services representatives will be happy to go over your account and look into the matter. We appreciate you. Thank you for allowing us to assist you.

Jul. 7th, 2020

sylvia jackson Grambling, LA

I didn't like the prices I was being charged every month I thought it was too high. I was not informed of the price increase because the company I was using closed and consolidated credit inherited my account.

8 years ago

Richard Cruz Sugar Land, TX

Lower my rates on debt, dislike the fact that they didn't make arrangements with creditors regarding the due date. So every month some of my account show past due

3 years ago

Hi Richard,

Thank you for allowing Consolidated Credit to assist you. We’re glad that we were able to work with your creditor to lower the interest rates on your debt. As for changing due dates, creditors typically do not let anyone other than the cardholder to change the due date. It is for this reason that when we send a proposal to your creditor, we advise them of the date we will be disbursing your payment. Should clients see that their payment is posting after the closing date on their statement, they would need to contact the creditor to determine if the due date with them should be changed.

Our goal is to have our clients select a program due date that will ensure their payments are made in full and on time to us every month. In turn, we send the funds to the creditors as close to the same date as possible every month to establish a consistent payment history.

We will be happy to review your statements and accounts with you to determine if the past due amounts that you are seeing are negatively affecting your credit reporting and make a plan to resolve them if they are. You can upload the statement(s) in question through our web portal for us to review and respond or you can call in to discuss them with someone in real time.

Jul. 1st, 2021

Scott Anaheim, CA

I was surprised how much when to interest when I may to small payments not sure how it works or when you are able to refinance I think it takes too long to refinance

Dear Scott,
We appreciate the opportunity to assist you. It’s our mission to help people in your situation find solutions to become debt free. If you have any questions or run into any challenges down the road, please don’t hesitate to give us a call. We’re here to help!

Oct. 21st, 2020

Ronaldo Robles

Not what I thought it would be. Don't feel I have saved a cent consolidating

4 months ago

Hi Ronaldo,
We regret to hear that you are not as satisfied as you feel you should be with your program. We are committed to offering the best possible help and would appreciate the opportunity to speak with you more at 877- 201-7780. We try our best to be flexible and can see what alterations could be made to better align our program with your needs and goals. We also do not force our clients to stay in the program, if you truly feel another option would be best for you, you can always call us to end the program. We hope this can help you and appreciate the feedback so that we may best serve you.

Nov. 17th, 2024

Mark Rector Gresham, OR

Both of my monthly payments come out of my account monthly automatically and I appreciate that. It helps me because it's worry free on my part.

2 years ago

Dear Mark,
Thanks for your review and we were glad we could help you with your debt. As you work your way through your debt management program, we’d also like to invite you to take advantage of the free resources we offer through our Financial Education Center on Consolidated Credit's website. These will help you learn strategies to avoid challenges with debt in the future.

Apr. 5th, 2022

Mohamed Jalloh Fargo, ND

I love the company because it helps reduce my debt, However, I don't like the amount of money they are charging for their services.

Hi Mohamed,
Thanks for letting us assist you. We’re glad we were able to help you set up a debt management program, so you can get on the road to becoming debt free. If you have any questions about the program, please give us a call and we’ll be happy to help. We’re here to be your advocate!

May. 12th, 2021

raimundo gonzalez Chicago, IL

to many Bill's and i need to have some kind of help with them, im working on my credit with lexington law and its going good

Patricia Travers Wichita, KS

They kept asking me for money I don't have to give away!' I have a lot of bills to pay that's why I made loan thought you all could help me!'

Hi Patricia,
Are you sure you have the right company? We are a non-profit credit counseling organization, not a loan company. For those people who qualify for a debt management program, we negotiate with their creditors to lower their interest rates and set up a payment plan that last for between 2-5 years until the debt is paid off. Based on their unique circumstance creditors agree or disagree to lower their interest rates and accept a new payment plan. We then relay to the client how much their monthly payments will be and that amount is paid monthly for the duration of their time on the program. If someone adds new bills to the program, that would increase their monthly payment, as would be expected. But we would like to confirm that you have the correct organization since you mention that you received a loan and we are not a lender and do not provide loans.

Nov. 1st, 2018

Drazia Adwar East Brunswick, NJ

Still not sure how this company can do a better job than myself in negotiating better terms with my creditors. Time will tell.

James Douberley Clermont, FL

Had trouble with sales person lying about warranty over heard salesperson assured buyer that the vehicle had full warranty....

shawne bradley San Francisco, CA

Consolidate Credit was not really accessable in comparison to OneMain Financial. It was difficult to reach them and they're turn around time was way too long.

Hi Shawne,
We’re unsure of the comparison you’re making here as we are completely different businesses, offering completely different services. OneMain Financial is a personal loan company whereas we assist consumers with getting out of debt and getting their finances in order. We do not issue loans. Our certified credit counselors are available Mon- Thurs 8:00 am – 10:00 pm, Friday 8:00 am -8:00 pm, and Sat 9 am -5 pm EDT. Feel free to read more about our debt management program on Consolidated Credit’s website.

Jun. 1st, 2022

Susan Baldoni Salem, OR

Website is difficult to use - sometimes it’s very slow, other times it won’t even let me log in.

3 years ago Edited September 14, 2021

Hi Susan,
We appreciate the opportunity to assist you. It’s our mission to help people in your situation find solutions to become debt free. If you have any questions or run into any challenges down the road, please don’t hesitate to give us a call. We’re here to help!

Jul. 28th, 2021

MELINDA WESTPHAL Lansing, MI

I don't really have a comment. I feel like I have been paying $285 for way too long now and just want to be done.

4 years ago Edited September 17, 2021

Hi Melinda,

Thanks for calling and we’re glad we could help. As you work your way through your debt management program, please let us know if there’s anything you need. Our client services team is here to answer any questions that you have and assist you in overcoming any challenges that may arise as you work to become debt free.

Oct. 30th, 2020

Cuquis68

So far so good. I have nothing at the moment.

7 months ago

Hi Cuquis,
We're glad to know you're satisfied with the program and your service so far. If you ever have questions or need any help, don't hesitate to contact client services at 877- 201-7780! We hope to earn an updated review as your time in the program increases and the benefits you're seeing grow.

Sep. 20th, 2024

Leslie Wingo Mesa, AZ

The only thing that concerns me is your loe balance notification letter. It is very misleading

3 years ago Edited October 10, 2022

Hi Leslie,
Thanks for letting us know how we did! We’re happy we were able to help you find a solution to get out of debt. If you have any questions about your debt management program or what you can expect now that you’re enrolled, please don’t hesitate to call us. We’re here to help!

Jul. 30th, 2021

Pjk

I was on hold longer than I expected, though representatives were very pleasant.

Hi PJK,
Thank you for allowing Consolidated Credit to assist you. We value your time and so we regret any inconvenience. Customer service and client satisfaction are of utmost importance to us. Knowing that you received professional service is very pleasing. We appreciate you and wish you the very best on your journey out of debt.

Jul. 2nd, 2018

todd johnson

i just made my first payment so i cant pass judgement yet

10 months ago

Hi Todd,
We're excited to be working with you and appreciate the opportunity to be part of your financial journey! We're confident in our program and know you'll see success, but if you ever have questions or want extra help, client services is happy to help at 877- 201-7780. As your program progresses, we hope to earn an updated five-star review!

Jul. 3rd, 2024

ML ML Scobey, MT

Nice to have lower rates and have them pay the payments every month!

1 year ago

Hi ML,
We're happy to help lower your rates and condense your payments into a single, easy bill each month. If you're happy with your debt management program and the service you received, 5 stars is the highest rating you could give us. Thank you for sharing your experience!

May. 4th, 2023

David Perry Sr Gatesville, TX

The lady whom took my call was a bit nasty in her tone and a little arrogant

Peter Kayala Sterling, CO

Very cordial and professionalism! Helpful and knowledgeable

Hi Peter,
Thanks for letting us know how we did! We’re happy we were able to help you find a solution to get out of debt. If you have any questions or run into challenges down the road, please don’t hesitate to call us. We’re here to help!

May. 19th, 2022

Paul Way OH

Just thought u would do more than u are doing

Hi Paul,
Thanks for letting us assist you. We’re glad we were able to help you set up a debt management program, so you can get on the road to becoming debt free. If you have any questions or run into any challenges down the road, please don’t hesitate to give us a call. We’re here to help!

Mar. 14th, 2022

Cindy Cusson Lynn, MA

Seems like the balances aren't going down.

Hi Cindy,
Thanks for letting us assist you. We’re glad we were able to help you set up a debt management program, so you can get on the road to becoming debt free. If you have any questions about the program and your account, please give us a call and we’ll be happy to go over your account with you. We’re here to be your advocate!

Jun. 16th, 2021

Gina Wilburn Pueblo, CO

She was able to assist me with my reason for calling. Dates the payments are sent to my creditors.

7 years ago Edited September 14, 2021

Consolidated Credit