Many debt settlement companies take around 30% to 50% of the existing amounts as payment. Also, the current economic crisis in the world means that the credit card companies are more than willing to let their customers pay the amount they can now, rather than writing of the amount as bad debt later on. A smart customer would be able to use these two advantages to their favor by reducing the amount to the one they pay, and also not pay a hefty sum to a 3rd party.
No debt is too small. Some settlement companies will only take you on if your debt is large; say $15000. Anything less will not be entertained. Being your own boss means that you can try to have it settled with your credit card companies even if your debt is not in the five figures. The best part is, it gives you flexibility to make changes once the agreement has been reached. Going through a 3rd party is time consuming and involves lots of paper work