See exactly how long and how much it costs to escape credit card debt
Card & Payment Details
Payment Strategy
Must exceed the monthly interest charge. Higher payments = less interest paid.
Payoff Summary
Payment Breakdown
Monthly Breakdown
Month-by-month breakdown of all 35 payments — interest charged, principal applied, and remaining balance.
Disclaimer: Results are estimates based on a fixed APR and the payment strategy you select. No new purchases, fees, or rate changes are assumed. Actual payoff time and interest may vary. Contact your card issuer for exact figures.
Use this free credit card payoff calculator to find out exactly how long it will take to pay off your credit card balance and how much interest you will pay along the way. Enter your balance, APR, and monthly payment to instantly see your debt-free date, total interest cost, and a full month-by-month amortization schedule — so you can make a smarter plan today.
Each month, interest is charged on the remaining balance at your card's APR divided by 12. Your payment first covers the interest, and anything left reduces the principal. The calculator repeats this process month by month until the balance reaches zero, then sums up total interest and time.
Minimum payments are typically 1–3% of your balance. Because they shrink as your balance drops, they can take many years to clear a balance and cost far more in interest than the original debt — sometimes 2–3 times the original amount. Use the 'Minimum Payments Only' mode to see your specific scenario.
Any amount above the minimum accelerates payoff significantly. A common strategy is to pay as much as you can afford consistently. The calculator's 'Savings vs. Minimum Payments' panel shows exactly how many months and dollars you save for whatever fixed amount you choose.
If your payment does not exceed the monthly interest charge, your balance will never decrease — it will grow. The calculator will flag this with an error and show the minimum payment required. This situation is called negative amortization and should be avoided.