If someone close to you has just been picked up because there was a warrant out for their arrest, and it's imperative that they get out of jail right away, you have to talk with a bail bonds professional. A bail bondsman is a professional that you will pay a set amount of money to to get your friend out of jail, and they cover the rest of the bail. Usually you have to pay the bondsman around 10 percent of the bail; it could be more or less. Here are some things to know before approaching the bondsman.

Credit is Important

Having good credit is important if you want to get approved. If you don't have good credit, and the person who got arrested doesn't have good credit, you want to start reaching out to the friends and family of that person right away to see if someone is willing to take on the obligation. As long as the person shows up for their court date, the person who signed for the bond won't owe anything.

Have Cash

If you walk in with the cash in hand to give to the bondsman, instead of trying to scrounge around for it or putting it on multiple credit cards, they may be willing to work with you if your credit isn't perfect. You may also want to offer more than the base amount that they ask for, as a little cushion to show that you are good for the money.

Be Smart

Are you sure that the person in jail is going to show up when they have their day in court, and that you won't end up owing the full amount of their bail? You want to know that they will show and also how much time until they get in front of a judge. If they are getting in to see a judge in the next day, it may not be worth paying the money to get them out.

Find a few different bondsmen and see who can work with you to bail your friend out of jail and what it is going to cost you out of pocket to do the job. There are a lot of bondsman that can help you such as A M Bail Bonds, so you want to be sure that you explore your options and get someone that can cooperate right away so you can get your friend out of jail.