Cardinate — Credit card tracker and debt payoff planner
Payoff strategies

The best way to pay off credit card debt depends on what is costing you most.

Compare snowball, avalanche, and promo-first side by side, then see which card to pay first based on your actual numbers.

Payoff strategy comparison

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Recommended strategy
Promo APR first — start with Card C

Card C's 0% promo window ends in 91 days. Paying it down before the snap-back rate kicks in saves the most interest.

Estimated impact of $150/mo extra: roughly $0 in interest avoided over a year on this card.

Cardinate · Pro

Build your full payoff plan in Cardinate.

Cardinate models avalanche, snowball, and promo-first across all your cards and turns the winning strategy into a month-by-month plan.

The methods

Four ways to attack credit card debt.

Snowball method

Pay minimums on everything, then throw extra at the smallest balance. When it's gone, roll that payment into the next-smallest. Best for momentum.

Avalanche method

Pay minimums on everything, then throw extra at the highest-APR card. When it's gone, roll that payment into the next-highest APR. Saves the most in interest.

Promo APR-first method

Prioritize any 0% promo card whose end date is approaching. Missing a promo deadline is usually more expensive than carrying a high-APR balance for a few more months.

Utilization-aware payoff

If you have an application coming up (mortgage, auto loan), reduce balances on cards with the highest individual utilization first, even if their APR is lower.

Which method Cardinate can help with

All of them. Cardinate models each strategy against your actual balances, APRs, and promo windows and recommends the right card to pay first this month.

Keep exploring

Payoff calculator

Run the math on a single card before picking a strategy.

Promo APR tracker

Find out which promo deadline is closest.

Multi-card guide

The tracking system every payoff plan depends on.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Highest APR (avalanche) saves the most in interest. Smallest balance (snowball) builds momentum. If you've fallen off plans before, snowball usually wins because it keeps you consistent.

Prioritize it if the promo is ending soon. The 0% isn't free: the moment the promo ends, the remaining balance starts accruing at the post-promo APR.

If you're optimizing for credit score, focus on utilization. If you're optimizing for total cost, focus on interest. Cardinate can show both.

Paying mid-cycle (before the statement closes) lowers the balance that's reported to the credit bureaus, which helps your score. Weekly payments don't help much beyond that.

Build a written payoff plan, automate at least the minimums, and stop putting new spend on cards you're actively paying down.