If you’ve built up a credit card debt that you’re struggling to get back under control, you’re far from alone. We all know it’s good money management to pay off our cards in full each month, to avoid interest and penalties. But what should you do when you can’t and things start to get on top of you?

Well, one of the best options is to find a new credit card that allows you transfer your outstanding balance and avoid paying any further interest on the debt for up to 18 months, as long as you meet the minimum payments. That gives you time to set a budget and pay off a regular amount every month, without adding to the amount you owe.

So how do you get a balance transfer card? For starters, your credit score will have to be good. If you’ve been declined a credit card recently or have any reason to be concerned about your credit score, see what information the two key players, Experian and Equifax, hold on you before you apply. With Experian you can often do this with a free trial.

At all costs you want to avoid being rejected when you apply for a credit card as a rejection impacts on your credit score going forward. So if you’ve been rejected, stop applying until you understand why and have tried to put things right.

All balance transfer cards will charge a transfer fee of between 2% and 3%, so factor this in when working out which card is best for you. This fee can normally be added to your credit card debt and while it sounds like a lot, it tends to be worth paying when you calculate how much interest you would be paying otherwise.

Once you transfer your balance to your new card, make sure you set a budget to pay off your debt and stick to it. That means reviewing your regular outgoings, setting your priorities, seeing where you can save money and keeping closer tabs than ever before on all of your accounts. All this becomes much easier if you use free onlinepersonal finance software like moneydashboard.com which also provides lots of regular money savings tips too.

Remember, you will need to pay off the minimum amount every month to avoid penalties and remember that once the initial special interest period comes to an end, balance transfer cards are generally less competitive than other credit cards on the market. In some cases interest rates can be very high indeed, but that shouldn’t be a problem if you’ve stuck to your budget and cleared your balance.

Finally, don’t forget that you can still be charged interest on any new spending you make with your new credit card that is over and above the balance transfer. This said, there are some cards out there that offer deals on both balance transfers and purchases made during initial periods too, so you might want to consider them as well.