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Personal Finance Debt Relief

New Era Debt Solutions Review 2025: Solid, But Not Our Top Choice

Our take: New Era Debt Solutions is a long-running, reputable debt settlement firm with no upfront fees and solid customer reviews.
It’s a legitimate option, but we still recommend National Debt Relief as the best overall choice for most people because it offers clearer disclosures, broader eligibility, and a stronger track record. New Era is a good backup if you want a smaller provider or prefer its free debt analysis, but it isn’t our top pick.

Debt Relief
  • No upfront fees
  • Experienced team
  • Free debt analysis
  • Unclear minimum debt requirements
  • Not available in Iowa, Maine, or Oregon
  • Unclear fee structure
Min. debt requiredNot disclosed
FeesNone upfront, 15% – 25% after settlement
Timeline3 years or less

New Era Debt Solutions at a glance

  • Savings potential: Not disclosed
  • Minimum debt: Not disclosed
  • Customers helped: Not disclosed
  • Free evaluation: Yes
  • Fees: None upfront; 15%–25% after settlement
  • Timeline: Typically 24 – 48 months
  • Availability: Not offered in Iowa, Maine, or Oregon
Table of Contents

What is New Era Debt Solutions?

New Era Debt Solutions is a debt settlement company founded in 1999. It negotiates with creditors to reduce what you owe on unsecured debts such as credit cards, medical bills, or personal loans. The company has settled more than $275 million in debt over its history and holds strong consumer ratings across review platforms.

Debt settlement can help you resolve debt for less than what you owe, but it comes with downsides: Your credit score will fall, creditors may contact you during the program, and settlement results can vary.

How New Era’s debt settlement program works

New Era’s program follows industry-standard debt settlement steps:

1. Free consultation

A specialist reviews your debts, budget, and financial goals. New Era provides a free debt analysis with no obligation.

2. Monthly deposits

If you join, you stop paying creditors and start depositing money into an FDIC-insured dedicated account. This account funds future settlements.

3. Creditor negotiations

Once your savings reach a negotiable amount, New Era contacts creditors to settle individual accounts for less than the balance owed.

4. Settlement fees

You pay no upfront fees. After each settlement is reached and approved, New Era charges a performance-based fee of 15% to 25% of the enrolled debt, consistent with industry norms.

5. Completion

Programs typically take about 24 to 48 months, depending on your debt load and ability to make monthly deposits.

Services New Era Debt Solutions offers

Debt settlement

The company negotiates with creditors to reduce your total outstanding balance. This is the core service and the main reason most clients enroll.

Debt management plans

New Era may help you negotiate modified payment terms or reduced interest rates, though this is not the primary service.

Debt consolidation guidance

While New Era does not issue consolidation loans, it may discuss whether combining debts into one payment is a viable alternative.

Debt reduction counseling

Specialists offer general budgeting guidance, payment strategies, and advice on navigating debt on your own if you choose the DIY route.

New Era Debt Solutions fees and minimums

New Era Debt Solutions doesn’t publicly disclose its minimum debt requirement, but most reputable settlement firms work with clients who have $7,500 to $10,000+ in unsecured debt. New Era may accept lower or higher totals depending on your financial situation.

The company doesn’t charge upfront fees. Instead, it operates on a performance-based fee model, meaning you only pay after a settlement is reached and approved. Once a settlement is completed, New Era charges 15% to 25% of the enrolled debt, which aligns with typical industry ranges.

Because fee transparency and minimums aren’t clearly stated online, we recommend asking about:

  • Your estimated total program cost
  • How fees are calculated
  • Whether your debt amount qualifies
  • Whether any additional service or administrative fees apply

This helps you compare New Era’s costs with more transparent competitors, such as National Debt Relief and Accredited Debt Relief.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • No upfront fees

    You only pay after a settlement is successfully reached.

  • Long track record

    In business since 1999 and has settled more than $275 million in debt.

  • Positive customer reviews

    Strong ratings across Google, Trustpilot, and BBB.

  • Free debt analysis

    Helpful for determining whether settlement is appropriate before committing.

Cons

  • Unclear minimum debt requirement

    New Era does not disclose how much debt you need to qualify.

  • Not available nationwide

    You cannot enroll if you live in Iowa, Maine, or Oregon.

  • Limited transparency on fees

    The company confirms a 15% to 25% range but does not publicly break down how fees are calculated.

Is New Era Debt Solutions legit? Customer reviews

Yes. The company has been in business for more than two decades, maintains an A+ rating and accreditation from the Better Business Bureau, and holds strong customer reviews.

Like all legitimate debt settlement firms, New Era charges no upfront fees and only earns money when it settles a debt, a requirement under federal law. It operates within industry norms and uses FDIC-insured accounts for client funds.

SourceCustomer reviewsNumber of reviews
Trustpilot4.9/5433
BBB4.94/532
Google4.9/5234
Collected on November 26, 2025.

Alternatives

Choosing the best debt relief company can save you a lot of money and help you on the path to becoming debt-free. Here’s how New Era stacks up against top-rated competitors:

Savings Potential
Up to 50%
Min. Debt
Not disclosed
Customers Helped
Thousands
Free Evaluation
Yes
Best Overall
Savings Potential
Up to 50%
Min. Debt
$10K
Customers Helped
1.2 million+
Free Evaluation
Yes
Best for MCA Debt Relief
Savings Potential
Up to 50%
Min. Debt
$7.5K
Customers Helped
1 million+
Free Evaluation
Yes
Best for Payday Loan Relief
Savings Potential
Up to 50%
Min. Debt
$10K
Customers Helped
1 million+
Free Evaluation
Yes

New Era vs. National Debt Relief

National Debt Relief is our top pick overall because it provides clearer disclosures, a more structured onboarding process, and wider availability. It also has more reviews, more operational scale, and stronger educational resources.

New Era is smaller and more hands-on but lacks the transparency and nationwide reach that make National Debt Relief the better default choice.

New Era vs. Freedom Debt Relief

Freedom Debt Relief is the largest debt settlement company in the U.S., with more than $20 billion in settled debt and over 1 million clients served. New Era has strong reviews but far smaller scale and fewer resources. Freedom offers more counselor support but may have longer timelines.

Choose Freedom if you want a large, highly established provider; choose New Era if you prefer a boutique experience.

New Era vs. Accredited Debt Relief

Accredited Debt Relief combines strong customer satisfaction with flexible program design. It has a large customer base, clear disclosures, and broad availability. New Era holds up well on service quality, but Accredited offers more national coverage and more consistent transparency.

Accredited is generally the better fit for borrowers wanting structure and clarity.

Who New Era is best for

New Era can be a good choice if:

  • You’re behind on unsecured debt
  • You’re considering bankruptcy but want another option
  • You want a smaller company with more personalized support
  • You need a free analysis before deciding

New Era is not ideal if:

  • You prefer a more transparent fee structure
  • You want the most established, widely recommended provider (National Debt Relief)
  • You have steady income and could instead consider credit counseling

Recap of our New Era Debt Solutions review

New Era Debt Solutions is a reputable, long-standing debt settlement company with no upfront fees and positive customer reviews. It follows standard settlement practices and may help you resolve unsecured debt faster than other options. However, it lacks transparency around minimum debt requirements and is not available nationwide.

For most borrowers, we recommend National Debt Relief first, but New Era can still be a reliable alternative if you prefer a smaller firm with personalized attention.

About our contributors

  • Marc Guberti, CFPC®
    Written by Marc Guberti, CFPC®

    Marc Guberti is a Certified Personal Finance Counselor® and a freelance writer who specializes in investing, loans, personal finance, banking, business financing, and other finance topics. He regularly shares his analysis of stocks and financial products with his readers.

  • Kristen Barrett, MAT
    Edited by Kristen Barrett, MAT

    Kristen Barrett is a managing editor at LendEDU. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, with her wife and their three senior rescue dogs. She has edited and written personal finance content since 2015.