Credit Cards Payoff Calculator
Compare the debt avalanche and debt snowball strategies for paying off multiple credit cards with one shared monthly budget — see months to payoff and total interest for each.
How It's Calculated
Formula
\text{Interest}_i = \text{Balance}_i \times \frac{\text{APR}_i}{12}, \quad \text{Extra payment targets one card at a time, by strategy order}This calculator simulates paying off multiple credit cards using a single shared monthly budget, comparing two well-known strategies. Debt avalanche targets the card with the highest APR first — mathematically minimizing total interest paid. Debt snowball targets the card with the lowest balance first — clearing individual cards fastest, which some people find more motivating. Each month, every card's accrued interest is paid first out of the shared budget (so no balance ever grows), and whatever budget remains is applied as extra principal to the current target card; once a card is fully paid off, its freed-up share of the budget rolls into the next target card. Both strategies start from the same balances and the same budget — they differ only in the order cards are targeted.
Worked Examples
Three cards, $400/month budget
- Cards: $4,000 at 24.99% APR, $1,500 at 18.5% APR, $800 at 12% APR
- Debt avalanche targets the 24.99% card first (highest APR), then 18.5%, then 12%
- Debt snowball targets the $800 card first (lowest balance), then $1,500, then $4,000
- Each month, all three cards' accrued interest is paid from the $400 budget first; the remainder goes entirely to that month's target card
- Both strategies reach a $0 total balance, but debt avalanche pays less total interest since it clears the highest-rate balance soonest
Frequently Asked Questions
Which strategy is 'better'?
Neither is universally better — debt avalanche minimizes total interest paid (a purely mathematical advantage), while debt snowball clears individual card balances fastest, which some borrowers find more motivating to stick with. This calculator reports the numeric comparison for your own balances and budget rather than picking one for you.
Why isn't there a minimum payment per card?
This calculator's inputs are card balances, APRs, and one shared total monthly budget — no per-card minimum payment is part of that input set. Instead, every card's accrued interest is always paid first each month (so no balance ever grows), and the remaining budget is directed by the selected strategy.
What happens if my budget doesn't cover the combined interest?
The calculator reports that the plan can't make progress rather than showing a misleading number — if your total monthly budget is less than the combined interest accruing across all cards in a given month, the balance would never fully pay off, so increase the budget.
Can I add just one card?
Yes — with a single card, both strategies produce the identical schedule, since there's only one card to prioritize.