Using credit cards used to be just a matter of convenience for most consumers, but the current economy has turned credit card usage into a means of survival. Racking up high credit card balances with the increased worry and stress over how you will ever manage the credit card debt and be able to pay your way out from under the mountain of debt.

These tips will help you reduce your credit card balance and be better able to manage that credit card debt.

Call your credit card company and ask about their hardship program. It's possible under the new hardship program to get your credit card interest rate reduced and get lower monthly payments. Be honest when you talk with the company that issues your credit card and let them know that you want to pay your credit card debt, but currently you are having a difficult time doing so. They want their money so they will work at helping you make your monthly payments by reducing minimum payments and/or interest rates.

Pay your credit card bill on time each month. Making late payments adds on delinquent fees to your account balance and also gives the credit card issuer the right to increase the interest rate on your outstanding balances if you are consistently late and delinquent in your payments. It's a vicious cycle that can only be halted by you making your payments on time each and every month.

Increase your income and apply that extra money towards paying off your credit card debt. The more you pay on your monthly credit card balance, the quicker you'll get out of credit card debt. That's a simple equation, but to pay more you'll probably have to make more money. Take on a part-time job, have a garage sale, sell some items on eBay, do something that will you increase your income so you can increase your payments and get those high credit card balances paid off.

The credit card debt won't go away, the debt actually increases everyday that you put off doing something about it.