Credit card debt can creep up on you before you know it, thanks to fees and interest that are subject to change (always for the worse) with very little notice. If you’re not in the habit of paying off your credit card balances in full every month, you could soon find yourself mired in debt that never seems to go down even when you make a payment.

Since you can’t close your eyes and make credit card debt go away, you’ve got to find a way to pay it off – the quicker the better. Many people take out loans to accomplish this. It makes sense; better to pay a single monthly payment at a low interest rate than to make several credit card payments each month, all at higher rates of interest.

But some loans are a bad idea. For starters, let’s take a look at home equity loans. They are often easy to obtain and offer low interest rates. But what if you take out a home equity loan to pay off credit card debt, only to find yourself falling behind on your loan payments? Now you’ve got more at stake than your credit score; you could actually lose your house.

If you’re certain you’ll be able to handle the payments, a home equity loan might be useful for paying off other debt. But be honest with yourself. If you think delinquent payments are a possibility, find another source of money that won’t put your home at risk.

Many people borrow against their retirement funds when they want to pay off their credit cards fast. This isn’t a good idea, either. For one thing, the more money you keep in these funds, the more they will grow. The more money you take out, the less growth potential the fund will have. 

Borrowing from your 401K might sound like a fast solution to credit card debt, but consider the consequences: it will be more difficult to keep up your retirement fund contributions while you’re also trying to repay the loan. And if you get laid off, you’ll have about 90 days to repay the whole loan before it gets taxed and penalized.

If your credit card debt can realistically be paid off in a year, try transferring the balance to a card with a 1-year introductory rate of 0% interest. You can also talk to your bank about a low-interest personal loan, and use those funds to pay off your credit cards.

Just paying off the debt isn’t enough; you also need to figure out how you got so indebted in the first place. Were you paying for urgent expenses like car repairs? Then you should set up an emergency bank fund to pull from when those situations arise. Were you simply living beyond your means? Stick to a good budget, and you’ll get everything you need without overspending on frivolous items. There are many ways to cover unforeseen expenses and little extras, but credit cards are a costly option.