Plan a debt payoff order
Pay the highest rate first (avalanche) or the smallest balance first (snowball) — see months and interest for both.
Tools used in this guide
The job
With several debts, the order you attack them changes the cost. Avalanche clears the highest APR first — mathematically cheapest. Snowball clears the smallest balance first — psychologically faster wins. The simulator shows both side by side.
Balances, rates, extra
List each debt with balance, APR, and minimum payment, then set an extra payment per month on top of those minimums. Minimums are paid on every debt; the extra — and freed minimums once a debt dies — goes to the chosen target.
Worked example
Two debts — 3,000 at 6 % (min 75) and 8,000 at 18 % (min 160) — with 265/month extra on top of the 235 in minimums: avalanche pours the spare money into the 18 % card; snowball sends it to the 3,000 balance because it is smaller. Avalanche clears both in 26 months with ≈1,749 total interest; snowball takes 27 months and ≈2,235 — the order alone costs ~486 here.
Where it stops
Rates are held constant — promo expiry, late fees, and new spending are not modeled. The simulation warns when a balance can still grow under the entered minimums.