Snowball or avalanche — which payoff plan actually gets you debt-free sooner and cheaper? Enter your debts and your extra monthly payment below, and this free calculator runs both methods side by side with the same budget, so you can see the payoff order, the months to debt-free, the total interest and the total paid for each one.
Both methods follow the same rule: pay the minimum on every debt, every month, and send all extra money to one target debt at a time. When that debt is gone, its whole payment rolls into the next target. They differ only in which debt gets the extra money first — the snowball attacks the smallest balance first for quick wins, while the avalanche attacks the highest APR first to stop the most expensive interest.
Average credit card APR in 2026: 22.36% on accounts assessed interest (21.19% across all accounts), according to the Federal Reserve G.19 Consumer Credit release of October 7, 2026, reporting August 2026 data. If your card APR is near that average, every extra dollar aimed at it saves real money.
Add 2 to 5 debts. Use the balance, APR and minimum payment exactly as shown on your latest statement. Do not add new charges while you follow the plan — new spending is the one thing that breaks both methods.
This is the extra cash you can put toward debt each month, above every minimum payment. Even $50 extra changes the result — try raising it and watch the months and interest fall.
Results update live as you type. Nothing you enter is saved or sent anywhere — the calculation runs entirely in your browser.
With no extra payment and no rollover of freed minimums, the same debts take longer and cost more interest. See the comparison below.
The debts: Debt A — $5,000 balance at 20% APR, $100 minimum payment. Debt B — $3,000 balance at 12% APR, $75 minimum payment. Extra payment: $200 a month. Total monthly budget: $375.
Snowball (smallest balance first): the $200 extra goes to Debt B first. Debt B is paid off in month 12, then its $75 minimum plus the $200 extra rolls into Debt A. Debt-free in 27 months, with $1,782.30 total interest and $9,782.30 total paid.
Avalanche (highest APR first): the $200 extra goes to Debt A first, because 20% costs more than 12%. Debt A is paid off in month 20, then its $100 minimum plus the $200 extra rolls into Debt B. Debt-free in 26 months, with $1,476.82 total interest and $9,476.82 total paid.
The difference: avalanche finishes 1 month sooner and saves $305.48 in interest on the same $375 a month. The snowball's first win comes sooner — Debt B gone in month 12, versus Debt A gone in month 20 for avalanche — which is exactly the trade-off: avalanche is cheaper, snowball feels faster at the start. Try these exact numbers in the calculator above to see the same result live.
| Debt Snowball | Debt Avalanche | |
|---|---|---|
| Target first | Smallest balance | Highest APR |
| Total interest | Equal or higher | Lowest possible for a fixed budget |
| Months to debt-free | Equal or longer | Equal or shorter |
| First debt paid off | Usually sooner | Often later |
| Best for | Motivation and quick wins | Saving the most money |
| Same result when | Your smallest balances also have the highest APRs, all APRs are equal, or you have only one debt | |
Each month, interest is charged on every open balance at its APR divided by 12. Then the minimum payment is paid on every debt, and all remaining money from your fixed monthly budget — your extra payment plus the minimums freed up by debts already paid off — goes to the current target debt. The final month's payment is smaller, because you only pay what is left. That is why total paid always equals your starting balances plus total interest. APRs are assumed fixed, no new charges are added, and every payment is made on time. Real statements use a daily rate on your average daily balance and round to the cent, so your lender's figures may differ by a few dollars.
Minimum payments: most card issuers set the minimum at roughly 1% to 3% of the balance plus that month's interest, or a flat $25 to $40, whichever is higher — the exact formula is in your cardholder agreement. Paying only the minimum on a high-APR balance can take decades, which is why the extra payment matters so much.
Current as of November 2026. Average APR figures: Federal Reserve G.19 Consumer Credit release, October 7, 2026 (August 2026 data) — 22.36% for accounts assessed interest, 21.19% for all accounts.
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