We built this calculator because most debt payoff tools online only show you one method at a time — you either get an Avalanche calculator or a Snowball calculator, and you're left guessing which one actually saves you more or gets you there faster. This tool runs both simulations on your exact numbers at once, so you can see the real difference side by side instead of taking someone's word for which method is "better."
What it does
You enter each credit card you're carrying a balance on — the balance, the interest rate, and the minimum payment — along with any extra amount you can put toward debt each month. The calculator then simulates, month by month, exactly what happens to your balances under the Avalanche method (extra payments go to your highest-rate card first) and the Snowball method (extra payments go to your smallest balance first). You get months to debt-free, total interest paid, and the exact order each card disappears, for both strategies.
How the math works
Interest accrues monthly based on each card's APR divided by twelve. Minimum payments are applied to every card every month. Whatever's left over — your extra payment, plus the minimum payments freed up from any cards you've already paid off — goes toward whichever card is next in the priority order for that method. This repeats until every card reaches a zero balance, or up to a 50-year cap if the numbers entered can't clear the debt in that time.
Who this is for
Anyone juggling more than one credit card balance and trying to decide where to send extra money each month. It's also useful with just one card, if you want to see how a bigger monthly payment changes your payoff timeline and total interest.
What this isn't
This is a planning tool, not financial advice. It doesn't know your full financial picture, your credit report, or your goals beyond the numbers you enter. If you're dealing with debt that feels unmanageable, a nonprofit credit counseling agency (such as one accredited by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling) can help in ways a calculator can't.