Promises of a credit card debt settlement create an exciting degree of hope for many people in debt trouble today. Many companies have appeared today with promises that they can solve your credit card debt by negotiating a settlement between you and your credit card company. But there are only a few scenarios in which that can really happen. The most common occurs when a credit card company knows that their cardholder is unlikely to be able to pay off their debt and they're a threat to declare bankruptcy. Rather than lose the option to collect at all, card companies may negotiate a settlement. Any debt settlement service that promises to be able to negotiate a settlement before that dire condition is probably exaggerating the facts in hopes of getting you to pay them a high fee for services they can't render. Explore your options carefully before agreeing to use any service today. If you are in serious financial danger, you may want to consult an attorney and consider bankruptcy before these other, possibly more expensive, options.