<prompt> Human: First off, why does no one ever comment on CC debt consolidation posts?Personalfinance seems to love pretending that no one ever goes into CC debt. There is heaps of advice for how to avoid racking up debt, but zero advice on how to refinance ridiculous APRs other than talk to your local credit union. Surely there are things you must know before pursuing a loan to consolidate CC debt. I guess Ill make my questions as simple as possible with the hope this gets more than the standard 1 comment on a consolidation post:Should I improve my credit score before pursuing a loan? What are all my available loan options credit unions, new p2p apps, etc.?Both lendingclub and prosper dont allow poor credit, so those arent even an option for me. My credit score was 748 just 10 months ago 800 a couple years ago, and it has plummeted to 500 from high utilization and multiple missed payments. Im 2.2 weeks into a 40kyear job 32kyr or 2.6kmonth takehome that I can already tell Im going to crush. My expenses are microscopic as a single 28 yo paying 400month rent incl. utilities who bikes to work so the debt is manageable, but the APRs are insane since 8k of the debt was from cash advances to get me through a prolonged period of unemployment. Im currently behind on two accounts and wondering how much my credit score will improve if I bring those up to date. Im assuming a higher score will have big implications for the ease of lowering my total APR. The flip side would be securing a loan asap to bring the accounts up to date and avoid future late fees and get a jump start on paying down the high APRs from cash advances. Correct me if Im wrong, but I believe the industry standard for CCs is that minimum payments pay down the lowest APR standard purchases typically and any excess payment each month pays down the highest APR first. I know this is true of one of my four CCs, but I havent inquired about the rest yet. I would need to pay 1910 to bring CC1 up to date and 660 for CC3. Neither company has sold the debt and Ive already talked to them about making smaller payments to keep the account openactive to avoid the collections process. Im 4 months past due for CC1 and 3 past due for CC3. Both companies informed me that nothing crazy would happen til I hit 6 months, but with my new job that shouldnt be an issue. debt CC1 13500 15.9CA1 2445 24.9CC2 2300 9.9CA2 2530 19.99CC3 3900 13.24CA3 3150 19.24Slate 6000 0 then 12.99 May 16I know you guys are amazing at giving budgeting advice, but please take my word for it that I do not need any. I know exactly how I got into debt, and I know what I have to do to get out of it. Please save the carpal tunnel and stick to the topic, thanks! Also, Ive already taken advantage of Chase Slate. Ive ruled out bankruptcy since Im confident I can repay my obligations through hard work and frugality.I guess the big picture question Im looking to have answered is do any lenders care about this credit storyline?:Had stellar credit - prolonged unemployment - poor credit - recently employedI feel like lenders should drool over situations like these, but maybe prolonged unemployment is too much of a red flag. Thanks for the help guys and happy holidays!  <response>: Http: With that credit score youre not going to get any better interest rates. Buckle down and pay off everything you can Avalanche style. Seeking credit at this time just makes you look like a bad investment. If you know how you got there, and you know how to get out, and have cheap living expenses and a good job... then all you need to do is buckle down and take care of business. 