Credit Card Payoff Calculator
Two modes: how long to clear a balance at $X/month, or what monthly payment is needed to clear it in N months. Includes total interest paid.
%
Time to pay off
2y 10mo
At 200.00 / month and 22% APR
Total interest
1,800.00
Total paid
6,800.00
Two ways to think about a credit-card payoff. Mode 1: I can pay $X per month — how long until it's gone, and how much interest will I pay? Mode 2:I want to be debt-free in N months — what does the monthly payment need to be? Toggle between modes with the tabs.
Credit cards typically charge interest in the 18–25% APR range — much higher than most other debt — so the difference between minimum payments and aggressive payoff is dramatic. If you have multiple cards plus other debt, see the Debt Payoff Calculator for the Snowball vs. Avalanche comparison across all of them.
How to use
- Pick the question: I'll pay $X/month or Pay off in N months.
- Enter the credit-card balance and the APR.
- Enter either the monthly payment (mode 1) or your target months (mode 2).
- Read the result — months to debt-free or required monthly payment — plus total interest paid and total cash out the door.
Frequently asked questions
- Why are credit cards so expensive to pay off slowly?
- Credit cards typically charge 18–25% APR — much higher than mortgages, car loans or student loans. At those rates, minimum payments often barely cover the interest, so the balance shrinks very slowly. Doubling your payment from the minimum can shave years off the payoff.
- What does "Never (with this payment)" mean?
- If your monthly payment is less than or equal to the monthly interest charge, the balance grows or stagnates — you can never pay it off at that rate. Bump the payment up by even a small amount to start making progress.
- Should I consolidate or transfer to a lower-rate card?
- Often yes, especially if you can get an introductory 0% balance transfer offer. The math: if the transfer fee plus the post-promo rate beats your current APR over your expected payoff period, it's worth it. Use this calculator twice (once at each rate) to compare.
Related tools
- Debt Payoff CalculatorCompare Snowball (smallest balance first) and Avalanche (highest APR first) payoff strategies across all your debts. See months to debt-free and total interest saved.
- Loan CalculatorCalculate the monthly payment (EMI), total amount paid and total interest on any fixed-rate loan — personal, car, student, or general purpose.
- Budget CalculatorSplit your monthly income into a 50/30/20, 70/20/10 or 60/30/10 budget — or build a custom zero-based budget with your own categories. Live pie chart.