Consumers will be able to take action with the information they find in this 240-page e-book. Included are stopping debt collectors and junk debt buyers, beating court action or arbitration, debt settlement that works, debt service scams, working with creditors, finding the right kind of help, and credit repair.

Readers can easily drill down to the information they need with the book?s 76-item table of contents, according to the author. Also included in each chapter are numerous links to authority websites and consumer forums that back up the guide?s recommendations, as well as sample letters and language for necessary written communications.

For people who need immediate help, the guide provides advice, samples and wording for stop-collection notices and for answering a court summons for credit-card debt including common affirmative defenses. For others who may become late with their payments and risk losing control of their finances, the book shows them how to work with their creditors and how to avoid the mistakes that may expose them to debt collectors later on.

Author Mel Thompson found relief for his own credit card problems and after a great deal of research wrote the Credit Card Debt Survival Guide as a result. ?A consumer can achieve relief from credit card debt once they lose their sense of guilt and anxiety,? he says. The Credit Card Debt Survival Guide sells for $39.95 and comes with a 90-day money-back guarantee at www.credit-card-debt-survival.com.

So far feedback has been positive, according to Thompson. Readers like the ability to sort through all of the debt relief options that are available and view them in the context of their ability to pay or not pay their credit card debt. In addition, the book helps them protect themselves from both sides of the debt industry; debt collectors and shady debt relief services, he says.

Matt Highlander is a writer who has researched credit counseling, debt settlement, debt collectors and collection attorneys. He writes for the Credit Card Debt Survival Guide. If you are seeking credit card debt relief, visit Credit Card Debt Survival Guide

While credit card debt settlement firms may assert otherwise, settling a credit card debt does not involve a legal secret.

Credit cards are contracts between consumers and credit card companies. These contracts can be legally modified if both sides mutually agree to the changes. According to the Credit Card Debt Survival Guide, for the consumer the most important LEGAL feature of a credit card debt settlement is getting the negotiated debt amount and the terms in writing and signed.

Can I settle my credit card debt while still making payments?

Credit card companies will only settle with those consumers who have missed monthly payments. If the banks negotiated debts with current account holders, most consumers would want to settle for less than the full amount.

As far as credit card accounts go, consumers fall in to two categories; those who can pay the monthly minimum, and those who cannot. For those who can pay and who want to settle for less than their full balance, they must risk not making their monthly payments and then banking that money for a lump sum settlement.

What percentage of the balance would a credit card company settle for?

Online consumer forums have stories of consumers settling for as little as 20 and as much as 70 percent of their credit card account’s original balance. According to credit card debt settlement expert Charles Phelan, consumers who settle on their own get the best settlements. Phelan also says credit card companies would rather deal directly with a consumer, rather than go through a debt settlement firm.

For a debt reduction agreement initiated by a consumer to work, credit card debt banks want consumers with real hardship issues like low income, job loss, family death, medical catastrophe, etc. The best time to settle, according to the Credit Card Debt Survival Guide, is right before the bank charges off the account. This usually happens six months after payments stopped. During this period, banks sometimes contact the consumer and offer to reduce the balance.

Matt Highlander is a consumer who has researched credit counseling, debt settlement, debt collectors and collection attorneys. If you are seeking credit card debt relief, read his Credit Card Debt Survival Guide