One large payment may sound better than many small payments for someone who is in financial trouble, but it is rare to find creditors who will negotiate for such adjustments unless it will allow them to make money. Either they will do so only if they extend the loan and earn more interest over the life of the loan, or it's the only hope of recovering any of their money from a consumer who is out of money and months behind in their payments. Beware of debt consolidation services that make false claims that no one can keep. If you have debt problems, often your best hope is to enlist the aid of a counselor who will help you restructure your budget, eliminate your credit card dependence, and allow you to get back on track with your payments to creditors. However, if you are in serious debt trouble that such restructuring won't solve, you may need to consider more serious solutions like bankruptcy, with the help of an attorney.