If your lender is a member of the Community Financial Services Association of America (CFSA), the chances that they offer extended payment plans is quite high. Be sure to ask before your loan's due date - last business day at the latest.

Before you do sign a repayment plan, be sure to read and understand all of the terms. There's no such thing as a free lunch, so they may replace one evil with another. An extended repayment period might come at the price of higher interest.

There are home equity lines of credit (HELOCs), credit card loans, and other personal loans designed for paying down larger loans.

For most of these, you'll need to have some credit history - probably a 580 credit score at a minimum. Check your credit report from one of the main credit bureaus - Experian, Equifax or TransUnion first - many services such as Credit Karma offer this for free. Be wary of other credit bureaus, as they tend to be more scammy.

5. Get a Credit Union Payday Alternative Loan

Federal credit unions are financial institutions that tend to be smaller and less profit oriented, since they don't have shareholders. They often offer “payday alternative loans” (PALs). Here are some facts about PALs, courtesy of NerdWallet:

• Issued to borrowers who have been credit union members for at least one month.
• Granted in amounts between $200 and $1,000.
• Affordable, with a maximum annual percentage rate of 28% and an application fee of no more than $20, which reflects the actual cost of processing.
• Repaid fully after one to six months of installments; no rollovers allowed.
• Provided to borrowers one at a time; borrowers may not receive more than three PALs within a six-month period.

NerdWallet also mentions that these loans are not very common; only 1 in 7 credit unions offers them. The best way to learn if a credit union offers these types of loans is to call them.