{"id":37268,"date":"2023-11-02T07:05:29","date_gmt":"2023-11-02T12:05:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/santanderconsumerusa.com\/?p=37268"},"modified":"2024-09-17T11:11:18","modified_gmt":"2024-09-17T16:11:18","slug":"prioritizing-bills-and-asking-for-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/santanderconsumerusa.com\/blog\/prioritizing-bills-and-asking-for-help","title":{"rendered":"Prioritizing bills and asking for help"},"content":{"rendered":"<style> p:has(img) { padding-bottom: 0; } .aligncenter { margin-bottom: 12px; }<\/style>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/santanderconsumerusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/SC-860851-CUST-Prioritizing-Bills-and-Asking-for-Help-Repurposed-MKTG-SC-Blog-Post-01.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1440\" height=\"510\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-37270\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Keeping up with payments is an essential part of managing your money, but it isn\u2019t always easy.<\/p>\n<p>A change in circumstances, such as with a job, the arrival of medical bills or a rise in the cost of living, may leave you facing a difficult month or period of months ahead.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re concerned that you won\u2019t be able to make all of your payments, being proactive can take you a long way. Prioritizing your bills and, if necessary, asking for help will put you in a better place to avoid or limit the effects of late or missed payments which can include late fees, added interest charges, impact on your credit score, and even the loss of a service or possession.<\/p>\n<p>The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recommends these straightforward steps to help ease the pressure and see you through the month.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/santanderconsumerusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/SC-860851-CUST-Prioritizing-Bills-and-Asking-for-Help-Repurposed-MKTG-SC-Blog-Post-03.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"75\" height=\"75\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-37271\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Make a list of your bills<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Start by setting out what each of your bills is for, their amount and when they\u2019re due. Then ask yourself which ones help to protect your job, such as transportation and childcare, which are for your home, including rent or a mortgage payment, and those that safeguard your health, like health insurance. Also on the list should be any legal obligations you might have, from child support to fees or fines. Having done that, think about what might happen if you don\u2019t pay each of those bills as you decide how to order your payments.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/santanderconsumerusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/SC-860851-CUST-Prioritizing-Bills-and-Asking-for-Help-Repurposed-MKTG-SC-Blog-Post-04.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"75\" height=\"75\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-37272\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Get in touch with your service providers<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Many companies and service providers offer support programs for customers who are experiencing problems with making their payments that can lighten the load. Consider getting in touch to learn more.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/santanderconsumerusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/SC-860851-CUST-Prioritizing-Bills-and-Asking-for-Help-Repurposed-MKTG-SC-Blog-Post-05.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"75\" height=\"75\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-37275\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Find out if you can change a due date<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Another handy tip is to see if you can change the due dates on some of your bills so that you can spread out your payments over the month and avoid a lot of expenditure at once. Alternatively, you might be able to split a large monthly payment into two payments and space them apart. <\/p><div id=\"ad-35376\" class=\"ad\"><a href=\"https:\/\/santanderconsumerusa.com\/customer-center?utm_source=sc&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=sc_blog_ads&amp;utm_content=House-Ads-02\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/santanderconsumerusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/SC-646200-CUST-SC-House-Ads-MKTG-House-Ads-02.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter\" alt=\"Important info all in one place in our Customer Center\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/santanderconsumerusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/SC-860851-CUST-Prioritizing-Bills-and-Asking-for-Help-Repurposed-MKTG-SC-Blog-Post-06.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"75\" height=\"75\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-37276\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Don\u2019t ignore the problem<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>If you definitely can\u2019t make a payment, remember to contact the company you owe to let them know and to explain your situation. It\u2019s also worth having an idea of when you\u2019ll be able to pay. Even if a company doesn\u2019t offer a support program, many are willing to listen and try to find a way to help you get back on track.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/santanderconsumerusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/SC-860851-CUST-Prioritizing-Bills-and-Asking-for-Help-Repurposed-MKTG-SC-Blog-Post-07.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"75\" height=\"75\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-37277\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Keep to your plan<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Depending on your situation, you might be receiving messages from different service providers asking for payment or perhaps you\u2019re still deciding how to order your payments. Once you have a plan, you may need to stay focused on the priorities you\u2019ve outlined to fulfill all of your commitments.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Support when you need it<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>While making <a href=\"https:\/\/santanderconsumerusa.com\/blog\/why-paying-on-time-is-important\">timely payments<\/a> is in your best interest, Â鶹ֱ²¥ Consumer USA understands that there may be times in life when this is challenging. If you have payment concerns, we have a variety of resources and channels that may be able to help, and we\u2019re ready to discuss a customer\u2019s ability to maintain their account going forward. Visit our <a href=\"https:\/\/support.santanderconsumerusa.com\/?Business=Â鶹ֱ²¥%20Consumer%20USA&#038;Dealer=No&#038;Widget=Support%20Center\">Help and Support<\/a> page for answers to frequently asked questions and further information.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Keeping up with payments is an essential part of managing your money, but it isn\u2019t always easy. A change in circumstances, such as with a job, the arrival of medical bills or a rise in the cost of living, may&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[288],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37268","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-financial-wellness"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Prioritizing bills and asking for help - Â鶹ֱ²¥ Consumer USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/santanderconsumerusa.com\/blog\/prioritizing-bills-and-asking-for-help\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Prioritizing bills and asking for help - Â鶹ֱ²¥ Consumer USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Keeping up with payments is an essential part of managing your money, but it isn\u2019t always easy. 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