Ratio of Debt to Income

• One way to determine if you should seek credit card help is to look at the amount of debt you have versus the amount you earn each year. Take any other debts, such as student loans and a mortgage and car payments, into account as well. According to Smart Money, if you have debt that amounts to more than 40 percent of what you earn, you need some help.
  
  

Helping Yourself

• The Federal Trade Commission recommends attempting to help yourself when you find credit card debt overwhelming. Ways to help yourself include setting and sticking to a budget, not using the cards and calling the companies to request a lower interest rate.
  
  

Expert Insight

• When budgeting, getting a lowered interest rate or not using credit cards fails to help a person get out of debt, he may need to get expert help from a credit counselor. A good counselor can help you stick to your budget and make your payments. A reputable credit counselor can help you establish a debt management plan, where you pay a certain amount each month to pay off the loans, according to the FTC.