Finance

Credit Card Payoff Calculator

Months to clear a card balance and the interest it costs.

Enter your values

Results update instantly as you type — no submit needed.

Results
Time to pay off
2 yr 6 mo
Total interest
$2,500.00
Total paid
$9,000.00
First month's interest
$135.36

Quick answer

At a fixed monthly payment, a card balance clears in months = −log(1 − rB/P) / log(1+r), where r is the monthly rate.

How to use the Credit Card Payoff Calculator

  1. 1Enter the balance and the card's APR.
  2. 2Enter what you can pay each month.
  3. 3Read the payoff time and interest cost.

Frequently asked questions

Why are minimum payments so damaging?

Minimums are set near the interest charge, so the balance barely moves and a card can take decades to clear.

Avalanche or snowball?

Avalanche (highest rate first) costs least; snowball (smallest balance first) is easier to stick with. Both beat paying minimums.