To deal with student credit card debt, you should at the very least be making the minimum payment every month. If you find the debt to be overwhelming, certainly do not keep using the card and adding more debt. Student credit card debt is the same as any other type of credit card debt; it should be paid off as soon as possible in order to improve your credit score, and to prevent going further into debt.
The best way to pay off student credit card debt is to pay more than the minimum payment every month. Only paying the minimum payment can lead to it taking many years to pay off the debt, whereas if you even just pay a small amount more every month, the balance will go down much faster. In addition, it is important to never miss a payment or even just be late on a payment; the credit card company can raise your interest rates, and therefore your monthly payment and costs over time, with just one late payment.
There are credit calculators online that you can use to help you figure out what size payment you need to make in order to pay off student credit card debt within one or two years, for instance. Simply plug in the information about the credit card, such as interest rate and current balance. That way, you can then plan the payment into your monthly budget. Creating a monthly budget where you compare your income and your expenses, then attempting to stick to that budget each month, is another great way to deal with student credit card debt.
If you have relatively good credit, there are other ways to deal with your student credit card debt. Student credit cards often have fairly high interest rates, which can increase the amount of time it takes to pay off the card. If you have good credit, however, you might be able to apply for a new credit card with a lower interest rate; many credit cards offer 0% introductory APRs, especially on balance transfers. You can then transfer the balance from the student credit card onto the new card.
By all means, do not simply stop making payments on student credit cards. This can send the debt into collections, which will destroy your credit. If you legitimately cannot make payments, contact the credit card company and attempt to work out a payment plan with them; some credit card companies will be willing to work with you, without destroying your credit.
