Daily Mirror Top News｜为何借更多钱反而可能助你摆脱债务——但需谨慎权衡

《MoneyMagpie》编辑兼金融专家维姬·帕里（Vicky Parry）揭示：有时增加借款反而是解决债务困境的应对之策

负债累累是许多人面临的困境——即便我们对此避而不谈。生活成本危机让大多数人的日子变得艰难，甚至连日常开销都捉襟见肘。

债务漩涡易陷难逃。对多数人而言，只需数月病假、遭遇裁员，或突遇更换锅炉之类的大额开支，便足以从游刃有余的财务状况滑向债台高筑的境地。

但在你选择逃避现实之前，是否知道借入**更多**资金反而可能避免债务恶性循环？请仔细阅读以下内容，因为你需要保持自律，并确保仍具备还款能力。请注意，并非所有方案都适合每个人，务必先寻求专业建议。

郑重警告

在进一步探究之前，请先停下来思考：你的债务问题是长期存在的吗？你是否已经累积了数万美元的债务，且难以偿还？

在偿还债务期间，你能否改变消费习惯或克制自己不再超额消费？

若当前财务状况已令你感到担忧，请联系债务援助机构以了解可行方案。以下建议仅适用于濒临债务危机边缘者，或负债金额较小、无需申请破产或清算的人士。

英国债务咨询机构Stepchange和国家债务热线（National Debtline）提供免费咨询服务，可协助处理债务管理计划、破产及资不抵债相关的行政事务。政府官网上还提供了更多关于如何获取重大债务援助的建议。

为何还要借更多

整合债务并将债务转移至其他机构，可为您节省数百甚至数千英镑的利息支出。每月偿还信用卡分期款项时，若未全额缴清账单，已支付金额将按比例分摊至账单的不同组成部分。

通常而言，这意味着商品的实际购买价格会以较慢的速度偿还，而你每月支付的大部分金额则用于手续费和利息。如此一来，即便你每月持续支付大笔款项，长期来看也未必能减少欠款余额，因为未偿还金额的利息仍在不断累积。

增加借款额度可助您清偿高利率信用卡或贷款债务，并将所有还款整合为每月一笔易于管理的支付。

余额代偿信用卡

若您因利率攀升而难以每月全额偿还信用卡账单，不妨考虑办理一张余额代偿信用卡。这类卡片并非用于日常消费，其购物利率高得惊人。

不过，这类服务确实能为你提供喘息空间。建议寻找一款提供长期0%余额转账利率的信用卡——如果还能附带0%余额转账手续费的开户优惠就更理想了。这意味着你将现有信用卡的欠款转入余额转账卡时无需支付任何费用。

只要您按时偿还力所能及的金额——且始终不低于每月最低还款额——并确保在零利率期结束前付清全部欠款，就能节省开支。这是因为您无需为滞留在原信用卡中的大额欠款支付额外利息。这类信用卡旨在提供缓冲空间：在免息条件下，您可以逐步偿还实际欠款。

申请新贷款

贷款是一笔可用来偿清现有债务的整笔款项。应优先选择低利率贷款，并尽可能缩短实际可承受的还款期限。这种做法既能避免新增长期债务累积，也能从整体上降低贷款成本。

您可能也听说过债务合并贷款这一术语。这里需要注意一个细微的技术性区别：虽然合并贷款和个人贷款均可用于偿还债务，但合并贷款仅针对债务清偿，而个人贷款的资金还可用于其他用途。

债务合并贷款可由提供方统一管理。这意味着提供方在同意放贷后，将负责联系您现有的债权人并全额偿还未结余额。此后您只需每月向合并公司支付一笔还款即可，无需再分别向各信用卡、透支账户或其他债权人还款。

个人贷款是一笔直接汇入你银行账户的整笔款项。你可以随意支配这笔现金——但若你无法自律，不将其用于偿还债务而是随意挥霍，便会存在风险。

比较利率与贷款期限

在急于申请更多信贷来偿还债务之前，你需要先算一笔账。仔细比较现有债务和你计划申请的新贷款的利率，计算出以当前状态还清旧债所需的时间，以及你将为此支付的利息总额。

有时，债务合并贷款或个人贷款会让你支付更多利息，并总体上延长你的负债时间。因此，在申请任何类型的贷款之前，花时间仔细考虑你的策略非常重要。

尝试优先偿还高利率债务

最后，如果借款并不适合你的现状，不妨尝试将债务分解处理。每月尽可能多偿还利率最高的那笔债务。这种方式能加速清偿高息信用卡或贷款余额，从长远来看为你节省更多资金。

另一种方法是采用“滚雪球”式还款策略。这种方式能让你以收获感的心态清偿债务：每月向最小额度的债务偿还最大金额。

这意味着你可以在数月内还清第一笔债务，而不必年复一年地平均偿还所有债务。但需确保每月至少能支付其他债务的最低还款额（理想情况下更多），以避免利息累积。

MoneyMagpie Editor and financial expert Vicky Parry reveals how borrowing more can sometimes be the answer to solving debt overwhelm

Being overwhelmed by debt is something that many of us face C even if we dont talk about it. The cost of living crisis has made things hard for the majority, and affording even everyday expenses is tight.

A debt spiral is easy to get onto and hard to get off. A couple of months off sick, redundancy, or a sudden big expense like a new boiler is all it takes for most of us to go from affording things well, to running up debt.

But before you bury your head in the sand, did you know that borrowing MORE money could prevent a debt spiral? Read carefully, as you'll need to be disciplined and make sure you're still able to afford your repayments. Not all these options will be right for everyone, so seek proper advice first.

Word of warning

Before looking into this any further, stop and think. Are your debt problems long-term? Have you already run up an unmanageable amount of debt in the tens of thousands?

Can you change your spending habits or have willpower not to spend more while youre recovering from debt?

If the situation is already worrying, contact a debt charity to find out your options. The advice below is only for those teetering on the edge of debt, or who have small debts that wont require filing for bankruptcy or insolvency.

Stepchange and the National Debtline offer free advice and can help organise the administration behind debt management plans, bankruptcy, and insolvency. The Government website has more advice on where to find help with your serious debts.

Why borrow more

Consolidating debt and shifting your debt to another provider can save you hundreds or even thousands of pounds in interest. When you pay your credit card installments each month, if you dont pay the full amount due, what you do pay goes towards different parts of the bill.

Typically, this means the actual purchase price of something is paid off at a slower rate, while most of your payment goes towards fees and interest. This means you can keep paying loads every month but not see your balance reduce in the long-term, as interest continues to grow on the amount owed.

Borrowing more can help you wipe the debt from very expensive credit cards or loans, and put everything into one easy to manage payment each month.

Balance transfer credit cards

If youre struggling to pay your credit cards in full each month, because the interest rate has grown, consider a balance transfer credit card. These are not for making purchases on. The interest rate on purchases is sky-high.

However, they do give you breathing space. Look for a balance transfer card with a long 0% interest on balance transfers C and, ideally, an introductory offer of 0% on balance transfer fees, too. This means it wont cost you to shift your balance from your existing credit card onto the balance transfer one.

As long as you then pay what you can C and always the monthly minimum C ensuring you pay off the full balance before the end of the 0% interest period, youll have saved money. Thats because you wont be paying interest on that large sum of money that was costing you extra just sitting there on your last credit card. These cards are for breathing space: without interest, you can pay down your actual balance.

Take a new loan

A loan is a lump sum that means you can pay off outstanding debts. Look for a low interest rate, and ideally the shortest loan term you can realistically afford. This helps prevent new long-term debt building and keeps the cost of the loan down overall.

You may also have heard the term debt consolidation loan. There is a slight technicality to be aware of, here. While both a consolidation loan and personal loan can be used to pay your debts, a consolidation loan is only for your debts while a personal loan can include money for other things.

A debt consolidation loan can be managed by the provider. This means they agree to the loan, then they are responsible for contacting your current creditors and repaying your outstanding balances in full. You then pay the consolidation company a single payment each month to repay the loan, rather than each credit card, overdraft or other creditor.

A personal loan is a lump sum paid directly to your bank account. You can do what you want with the cash C which is risky if you cant trust yourself to not simply spend the new money instead of using it for your debts.

Check interest rates vs loan terms

Before you jump into applying for more credit to repay your debts, its time for some maths. Look at the interest rates on both your existing debts and the loan you want to take. Work out how long it would take you to pay off the existing debts as you currently stand, and how much the interest will cost you.

Sometimes, a consolidation loan or personal loan will cost you more in interest and keep you in debt longer overall. So, its important to spend time thinking about your approach before applying for any kind of loan.

Try paying debt off high-to-low

Finally, if borrowing isnt the best situation for your circumstances, try to tackle your debt in small chunks. Pay the largest amount you can each month to the most expensive debt you have. This will help you reduce the balance of the high-interest credit card or loan faster, saving you more in the long-run.

The alternative is to "snowball" your debt repayments. This helps you clear debts with a rewarding mindset: you pay the largest amount each month to your smallest debt.

It means you could clear your first debt within months, instead of paying equal amounts across all debts for years and years. Make sure you can still afford at least the minimum repayments on your other debts each month, ideally more, to prevent the interest accumulating.