Credit Card Payoff Calculator: Snowball vs. Avalanche
Two popular payoff strategies, simulated on your actual cards, side by side. Enter up to 5 cards and your total monthly budget — the calculator runs both the debt snowball and the debt avalanche month by month and shows you which wins, by how much, and in what order each card gets paid off. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
❄️ Debt Snowball
🏔️ Debt Avalanche
Total remaining balance over time under each strategy. Both plans pay every minimum, then throw the leftover budget at one target card.
Assumptions: minimum payments are treated as fixed monthly amounts; interest compounds monthly at each card's APR; no new charges are added; the full budget is paid every month. Real minimums are often a percentage of the balance and decline over time, which would stretch the minimum-only timeline even longer.
Educational use only: this calculator is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Consult a qualified financial advisor before making decisions.
How to use this calculator
- Enter each card — a nickname, the current balance, the APR, and the minimum payment from your statement. Leave unused card slots at zero; they are ignored.
- Set your monthly budget — the total you can put toward all cards each month. It must at least cover the sum of your minimum payments.
- Compare the panels — the green-bordered panel is the cheaper strategy. Check the payoff order: that is the sequence to attack your cards in real life.
- Read the warning box — it shows what happens if you pay only minimums. That number is the reason to pick a strategy and stick to it.
- Re-run as balances change — update the balances monthly and re-run to keep your payoff order current.
How the simulation works
Each simulated month, in this order: (1) every card accrues interest at APR ÷ 12; (2) you pay each card's minimum; (3) the leftover budget goes to the target card — the highest APR for avalanche, the lowest balance for snowball; (4) if the target is paid off, the leftover cascades to the next target. The simulation runs until every balance hits zero (capped at 600 months).
The full story with a worked three-card example: Debt Snowball vs. Debt Avalanche: Which Payoff Method Saves You More?
Frequently asked questions
Snowball vs. avalanche — which saves more money?
The avalanche method (highest APR first) always saves at least as much interest as the snowball method (smallest balance first), because it kills the most expensive debt first. In the calculator's built-in example — $5,000 at 24% and $2,000 at 18% with $400/month — avalanche costs about $1,477 in interest versus $1,638 for snowball. The snowball's advantage is psychological: wiping out a small balance early can keep you motivated.
What happens if I only make minimum payments?
Minimum payments stretch payoff over many years and multiply the interest. In the calculator's example ($5,000 at 24% plus $2,000 at 18%, $175/month in minimums), paying only minimums takes about 82 months — nearly 7 years — and costs over $6,200 in interest, versus about 22 months and $1,477 in interest with a $400/month avalanche plan. That is the minimum-payment trap: most of each payment goes to interest, not principal.
Should I stop using my credit cards while paying them off?
New charges work directly against your payoff plan — every dollar you add is a dollar plus interest you must pay off later, and it can extend the timeline by months. Most payoff plans assume no new charges. If you need a card for daily spending, consider switching routine purchases to a debit card until the balances are gone.
Does a balance transfer make sense?
A balance transfer to a 0% introductory-APR card can save significant interest, but only if three things are true: the transfer fee (often 3% to 5%) is less than the interest you would otherwise pay, you can realistically pay the balance off before the promotional period ends, and you do not run up the old card again. Otherwise the fee plus the post-promo rate can leave you worse off.
Will paying off my cards hurt my credit score?
Paying down balances generally helps your score because credit utilization — the share of your limits you are using — is a major scoring factor. Lower utilization is better. Closing old cards after payoff can shorten your credit history and reduce total available credit, which may temporarily lower your score, so many experts suggest keeping old accounts open with a zero balance.