Snowball Comparison: pays off in 27 months with $1,860.21 in total interest.
Analysis
Using the Avalanche method, these debts are paid off in about 27 months (roughly 2.3 years).
The Avalanche method saves about 68 in interest compared to Snowball.
Recommendations
Avalanche (highest rate first) minimizes total interest paid — the mathematically optimal choice.
Snowball (smallest balance first) clears individual debts faster, which can be easier to stick with even though it usually costs more interest overall.
Any extra amount you can add to the monthly budget above speeds up payoff and cuts total interest, regardless of which method you choose.
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Disclaimer
This calculator provides estimates for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, medical, legal, or tax advice. Always consult a qualified professional about your specific situation.
How This Calculator Works
The debt avalanche and debt snowball are the two standard strategies for paying off multiple
debts at once, and they target them in a different order. Enter each debt’s balance, interest
rate, and minimum payment, plus any extra amount you can put toward debt each month, and this
calculator projects how long payoff takes and how much interest you’ll pay — for both strategies,
side by side.
Avalanche always targets whichever debt has the highest interest rate first. It’s
mathematically optimal: for the same total monthly budget, it always results in the least total
interest paid, no matter how the debts are arranged.
Snowball always targets whichever debt has the smallest balance first. It usually costs more
interest overall than Avalanche, but clearing an entire debt sooner — even a small one — is a
real motivational win that helps some people stick with a payoff plan longer than the
mathematically “better” method would.
Whichever method you pick, every debt still gets at least its own minimum payment every month.
Your extra monthly amount (plus the minimum payments freed up from any debt you’ve already paid
off) all goes toward whichever debt the strategy currently targets, then rolls over to the next
one once that debt hits zero.
Every open debt receives at least its own minimum payment. Any extra budget — plus minimum
payments freed up from already-paid-off debts — is applied to the current target debt (highest
rate for Avalanche, smallest balance for Snowball), and rolls over to the next target the moment
the current one reaches zero.
Worked Example
Three debts — a $4,000 credit card at 22% ($100 minimum), a $1,500 card at 18%
($50 minimum), and a $6,000 personal loan at 9% ($150 minimum) — with $200 extra
paid every month:
Avalanche targets the 22% card first, then the 18% card, then the 9% loan.
Snowball targets the $1,500 card first (smallest balance), then the $4,000 card, then the
$6,000 loan.
Avalanche always finishes with equal or lower total interest than Snowball for the exact same
debts and the exact same extra payment — see your own numbers above for the size of that gap.
Cómo funciona esta calculadora
La avalancha de deudas y la bola de nieve de deudas son las dos estrategias estándar para pagar
varias deudas a la vez, y cada una las ataca en un orden distinto. Ingresa el saldo, la tasa de
interés y el pago mínimo de cada deuda, además de cualquier monto extra que puedas destinar a tus
deudas cada mes, y esta calculadora proyecta cuánto tiempo tomará pagarlas y cuánto interés
pagarás — para ambas estrategias, una junto a la otra.
La avalancha siempre ataca primero la deuda con la tasa de interés más alta. Es
matemáticamente óptima: para el mismo presupuesto mensual total, siempre resulta en el menor
interés total pagado, sin importar cómo estén organizadas las deudas.
La bola de nieve siempre ataca primero la deuda con el saldo más pequeño. Por lo general,
cuesta más interés en total que la avalancha, pero eliminar una deuda por completo más rápido —
incluso una pequeña — es una verdadera victoria motivacional que ayuda a algunas personas a
mantenerse fieles a un plan de pago por más tiempo del que lograría el método matemáticamente
“mejor”.
Sin importar el método que elijas, cada deuda sigue recibiendo al menos su propio pago mínimo cada
mes. Tu monto extra mensual (más los pagos mínimos que quedan libres de cualquier deuda que ya
hayas liquidado) se destina por completo a la deuda que la estrategia esté atacando en ese
momento, y luego pasa a la siguiente en cuanto esa deuda llega a cero.
Cada deuda abierta recibe al menos su propio pago mínimo. Cualquier presupuesto extra — más los
pagos mínimos liberados de las deudas ya pagadas — se aplica a la deuda objetivo actual (la tasa
más alta para la avalancha, el saldo más pequeño para la bola de nieve), y pasa al siguiente
objetivo en el momento en que el actual llega a cero.
Ejemplo resuelto
Tres deudas — una tarjeta de crédito de $4,000 al 22% (mínimo de $100), una tarjeta de
$1,500 al 18% (mínimo de $50), y un préstamo personal de $6,000 al 9% (mínimo de
$150) — con $200 extra pagados cada mes:
La avalancha ataca primero la tarjeta del 22%, luego la del 18%, y después el préstamo del
9%.
La bola de nieve ataca primero la tarjeta de $1,500 (el saldo más pequeño), luego la
tarjeta de $4,000, y después el préstamo de $6,000.
La avalancha siempre termina con un interés total igual o menor que la bola de nieve para
exactamente las mismas deudas y el mismo pago extra — consulta tus propios números arriba para
ver el tamaño de esa diferencia.
Avalanche (highest interest rate first) always results in equal or less total interest paid, for the same debts and the same extra monthly payment — it's mathematically optimal. Snowball (smallest balance first) usually costs more in interest but clears individual debts sooner, which keeps some people more motivated to stick with the plan. Compare both with your own numbers above.
What happens to a paid-off debt's minimum payment?
It rolls over — once a debt reaches zero, its minimum payment joins your extra monthly budget and gets applied to whichever debt the strategy targets next. This is the actual mechanic that makes both methods work faster over time, not just a fixed extra payment applied to one debt the whole way through.
Why does my payoff show "Never within 50 years"?
This means the combined minimum payments and extra budget you entered don't fully cover the interest accruing on these balances, so the debt would never actually shrink to zero at these payment levels. Try increasing the extra monthly payment, or check whether any minimum payment is unrealistically low for its balance and rate.
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