 TITLE: Is It Possible to Pay Credit Cards With a Student Loan? CONTENT: How to Pay Off Credit Card Debt Without Using Your Student Loans\n----------------------------------------------------------------\nIf you're struggling with credit card debt as a college student, here are some ways you can approach the debt without using your student loan money.\n*   **Stop using your cards.** Paying off debt is made more challenging if you're continuing to add more to the balance every month—it can feel like you're taking two steps forward and one step back. To ease things along, put a hold on using your credit cards until you can get a handle on the balance. Think about creating a budget to help make sure all your expenses can be covered without the need for debt.\n*   **Increase your income.** Making money as a college student can be challenging. But taking on a part-time job or starting a side hustle as a tutor or freelancer can free up money in your budget you can put toward your credit card debt.\n*   **Pay off high-interest cards first.** If you have multiple credit cards, there are a few different approaches you can take with paying them off. If your goal is to save the most money over time, prioritize paying off the balances with the highest interest rates first. To accelerate the process, use the debt avalanche method to make just the minimum payment on all of your cards except for the one with the highest rate. Apply all your extra payments to that card until it's paid in full. Then take what you were paying toward that card and apply it to the one with the next-highest rate, and so on until all of your cards are paid in full.\nPaying off credit card debt may not happen overnight. But as you're proactive about decreasing your spending, increasing your income and prioritizing high-cost balances, you'll be able to speed up the process and save money on interest charges while you're at it.\nMonitor Your Credit as You Pay Down Debt\n----------------------------------------\nYour credit score is an important indicator of your overall credit health, and building a good or excellent credit score can help you qualify for better credit cards and loans with lower interest rates in the future.\nAs you pay down your credit card debt, it's crucial to avoid missing any payments. If you're late on a bill by 30 days or more, the card issuer will typically report it to the credit bureaus, and your credit score may drop significantly.\nIn addition to paying on time every month, make sure to monitor your credit to understand how your actions are affecting your score, and whether there are other areas you can address to improve it.\nWith Experian's free credit monitoring tool, you'll get free access to your Experian credit report and your FICO® Score☉ powered by Experian data. You'll also get real-time updates about certain changes to your report, including new inquiries, new accounts and changes to your personal information.\nAs you work to pay down debt and continue to practice good credit habits, you'll be able to build your credit history and put yourself in a better position to get affordable financing in the future when you need it. END