Debt avalanche
After the entered payment floors, extra dollars go to the highest APR first. This is designed to minimize modeled interest cost.
Free Financial Calculator · Debt
Credit Card Payoff Planner
See how much high credit-card APR can cost, then test what happens when you add money to the payment, use a debt avalanche or snowball, or choose a target payoff date.
Up to 5 cardsNo loginInputs stay in your browserReviewed · Aug 20, 2026
What this does
Builds a payoff path from the balances, APRs and monthly payments you enter, then lets you test faster payoff options.
Have ready
Each card's balance, APR and the monthly payment you are making now.
Terra approachTransparent assumptionsEducational comparisonNo product recommendationHow Terra handles revenue →
Start with your statements
Enter the balances, APRs and payments you actually have.
Example values are loaded so you can see the tool work. Replace them with your own statement numbers. Terra assumes no new purchases and keeps your total monthly debt-payment budget working until the modeled debt is gone.
Why APR mattersInterest is charged on the balance that remains.Reducing principal sooner leaves less balance available to generate future interest.
1 · Your cards
Build your debt picture.
Card 1
Use the APR that applies to this carried balance.
Use the amount you plan to pay, not the credit limit.
Card 2
Use the APR that applies to this carried balance.
Use the amount you plan to pay, not the credit limit.
Card 3
Use the APR that applies to this carried balance.
Use the amount you plan to pay, not the credit limit.
Card 4
Use the APR that applies to this carried balance.
Use the amount you plan to pay, not the credit limit.
Card 5
Use the APR that applies to this carried balance.
Use the amount you plan to pay, not the credit limit.
2 · What the debt is costing
Your current payment budget.
Total credit-card debt$0
Balance-weighted APR0%
Current monthly debt budget$0
Approx. first-month interest$0
Modeled debt-free in—
Modeled interest paid$0
Modeled total repaid$0
Starting debtModeled interest
Important baseline convention: Terra treats each entered card payment as a monthly floor while that card is open. When one card is paid off, its freed payment stays in your total debt budget and rolls to the highest-APR remaining balance. If you would actually spend the freed cash instead, your real payoff would be slower.
3 · Pay a little more
What does an extra payment change?
Terra applies the extra amount to the highest-APR balance first. Use the strategy comparison below if you want to see the snowball alternative.
New monthly debt budget$0
Debt-free in—
Modeled interest saved$0
Debt-free sooner0 months
Balance falling over time
Current payment budget compared with the same plan plus your extra monthly amount.
Current payment budgetWith extra payment
4 · Choose a payoff style
Debt avalanche vs. debt snowball.
Both strategies keep the same total monthly budget. Only the order of the extra dollars changes.
Debt snowball
After the entered payment floors, extra dollars go to the smallest balance first. This may provide a quicker visible win even when interest cost is slightly higher.
5 · Work backward from a goal
What would it take to be debt-free in…?
Choose a target. Terra estimates the total monthly debt budget needed under the avalanche ordering.
How Terra models it
Useful math, with visible limits.
Interest convention
Terra uses a transparent monthly approximation: each card's APR divided by 12, applied to the remaining balance before that month's modeled payment. Actual issuers often calculate interest daily using average or daily balances, so statement results can differ.
No new purchases
The payoff model assumes you stop adding new charges, fees and cash advances and that each entered APR stays fixed throughout the projection. Real APRs can change, especially on variable-rate or promotional balances.
Your payment, not Terra's guess
Card minimum-payment formulas vary. Enter the monthly payment you actually plan to make. Your statement is the best place to find the current required minimum.
Primary reference: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau explains that many issuers calculate credit-card interest daily from an average daily balance and that paying more than the minimum can reduce interest cost and shorten payoff time. CFPB: How credit-card interest is calculated → · CFPB: minimum-payment payoff disclosure →
My Terra
Save this debt scenario in this browser.
Terra stores only what you deliberately save in local browser storage. Calculator values are not sent to GA4.
Nothing is saved unless you choose Save.
The next question
Once expensive debt is controlled, where should the next dollar go?
Terra's Start Here path walks through cash reserves, employer match, expensive debt and long-term investing in plain English.
Help improve TerraWas this page helpful?
One click helps us see what needs improving. Terra does not send your calculator inputs with this feedback.
Educational scenario only. Terra does not provide debt-settlement, credit-repair, lending, investment, tax or legal advice. Your card agreement and statement control the actual APR, fees, minimum payment, interest method and payment allocation.