It's understandable if the idea of having a large portion of your credit card debt forgiven sounds too good to be true. After all, in today's still sticky inflationary climate in which the rate rose in the last two months and in which elevated interest rates are making borrowing cost-prohibitive, it may feel like there are few viable options for regaining your financial health. But if you're stuck with high-rate credit card debt, forgiveness may be the solution you desperately need now.

For qualified borrowers, a credit card debt forgiveness program (also known as debt settlement) can help reduce your balance by 30% to 50%. That's real relief that can be the difference between financial independence and remaining mired in high-rate debt indefinitely. But if you want to qualify for a credit card debt forgiveness program, it's important to start by understanding eligibility. This may require making some select moves now, especially if you're looking to be approved to start the plan this August. And it may require avoiding some missteps, too. 

In other words, if you're looking to qualify for credit card debt forgiveness this August, it's equally important to know what not to do. Below, we'll break down what you need to know now, this July, that can help you qualify before August 31.

.

3 things to avoid doing if you want to qualify for credit card debt forgiveness this August

While the following list is not exhaustive, by avoiding these three seemingly innocent (but costly) mistakes, borrowers can improve their chances of being approved for a debt settlement program.

Keep making minimum payments

It may seem counterintuitive to stop making payments on your credit cards when trying to get debt relief support. But that's what will be required if you're looking to qualify for forgiveness. Consider halting your payments, then, whether they be automated minimum ones made each month or those you make independently. By making your payments, even if they're doing little to reduce your overall debt, you're demonstrating an ability to pay to the credit card company. 

Sure, this may take months, years or even more than a decade to pay off what you owe in full, but making payments implies an ability to make some sort of progress, thus reducing your likelihood of being approved for forgiveness. And, yes, halting payments will damage your credit score, but if you need the help credit card debt forgiveness offers, the majority of that damage may have already taken place.

.

Lose your paperwork

One of the key ways to qualify for credit card debt forgiveness involves demonstrating an inability to pay. If you have a medical issue that's hurt your ability to earn an income, a job loss that has left you without a viable income stream or something else entirely, you'll need to prove it to qualify for help. 

So don't throw away your medical bills, proof of job loss or anything else that clearly illustrates your current financial circumstances. Sure, you may be able to request copies of the paperwork needed here, but that could take weeks or even months to secure, delaying your forgiveness approval comfortably past August and potentially well into the fall.

Rack up additional debt to meet the threshold requirements

You'll typically need $7,500 to $10,000 worth of credit card debt to be approved for a forgiveness plan. But if you don't have that much, increasing your debt load to meet that threshold isn't the right move. Remember, forgiveness will only cover 30% to 50% of what you owe, so you'll just be causing your debt load to increase unnecessarily. 

Additionally, with alternatives like debt management programs, credit counseling and debt consolidation loans (among others), there are multiple debt relief alternatives available and worth exploring if you don't have enough debt to qualify for forgiveness. This is a good problem to have as it means your debt situation is more manageable than others, so use that to your advantage and avoid racking up additional debt to meet the forgiveness threshold requirements.

The bottom line

This summer could be the smart time to start the delayed work of getting out of high-rate credit card debt and regaining your financial independence. If you're focused on qualifying for a forgiveness program, however, avoiding these mistakes can help you become a more attractive candidate for debt relief companies. The key here, however, regardless of whether it's via a forgiveness program or some other debt relief service, is to be proactive and to take action. It likely took a long time to build up your balance, and it will take time, effort and due diligence to dig out of that financial hole, so starting that process as soon as possible makes the most sense now.