Free tool
Credit card payoff calculator
Updated November 6, 2026. Runs entirely in your browser; nothing you type is sent anywhere.
Enter a card balance, APR, and the fixed monthly payment you can actually send. You'll see an estimated months-to-clear figure, total interest, and one calm sentence you can adapt. Optional minimum % is only a comparison sketch—not your card agreement, not a lender quote, and not financial advice.
Tip: leave minimum % empty to use only your fixed payment. If you fill minimum %, the sketch payment is the larger of fixed payment and (balance × % / 100) for month one comparison—then the run still uses your fixed payment each month unless fixed is empty.
How to use the number
- If the payment does not cover the first month's interest, raise the payment or free cash elsewhere before the balance grows.
- Compare a few realistic payments (for example $150 vs $200 vs $300) rather than trusting one rosy scenario.
- When the hard part is the phone call—a bill, a landlord, a raise, or an offer—use a script, not improvisation under stress.
- For multiple debts with different rates, see the free debt payoff calculator (snowball vs avalanche sketch).
What to say when cash or pay is the bottleneck
Knowing the payoff sketch is step one. Saying the next line on a bill, rent, raise, or offer call is where people freeze. The Bills Kit ($19) gives word-for-word lines for bill and landlord moments plus Call Mode. If pay is the lever that funds the payment, see the Offer Kit ($29). One-time purchase, 14-day refund on both.
Get the Bills Kit, $19 Get the Offer Kit, $29
How is the payoff timeline calculated?
Each month the calculator adds interest at APR ÷ 12, then subtracts your fixed payment. It repeats until the balance is cleared (or hits a 50-year safety stop). Total interest is the sum of those monthly interest charges. If the payment is at or below the first month's interest, the balance never shrinks.
What does optional minimum % mean?
Some statements quote a minimum as a percent of the balance (for example 1% to 3%) plus interest, with a dollar floor. This page can sketch a payment from that percent for comparison, but your card agreement controls the real minimum. Prefer typing the fixed dollar payment you actually plan to send.
Is this a payoff quote or financial advice?
No. It is simple arithmetic on the balance, APR, and payment you type, plus a sample sentence you can adapt. It is not a lender quote, credit counseling, settlement offer, tax advice, or a substitute for advice from a qualified professional.
Does this include fees or changing APRs?
No. Late fees, annual fees, penalty APRs, promotional 0% periods, balance transfers, and day-count methods are not modeled. Re-run the sketch when any of those change.
Guidance only, not legal, financial, or tax advice. The calculator does simple arithmetic on the numbers you enter.