Pay the highest APR first to pay the least interest, compared with the snowball order
Estimates only, not financial advice. What you type stays on your device. Updated on 24 Oct 2026.The debt avalanche sends every spare dollar to the debt with the highest APR, which stops the most expensive interest first. With the same five example debts and $200 extra a month, it finishes in 28 months with $3,499.99 of interest, $203.78 less than the snowball and one month sooner. Paying only the minimums would take 66 months and cost $7,116.36.
Enter each debt with its APR, balance and minimum payment.
Add the extra amount you can spare each month.
Read the avalanche column: the highest APR is paid first, the others stay on their minimums.
Compare its total interest with the snowball column to see what the order is worth to you.
This calculator takes every debt you have, each with its balance, APR and minimum payment, and works out three plans month by month: the snowball, the avalanche, and paying only the minimums. The plans sit side by side with the debt-free date, the total interest and the order the debts are cleared.
The two orders. Both plans pay every minimum and send the rest of the budget to one debt at a time. The snowball picks the smallest balance first; the avalanche picks the highest APR first. When a debt is cleared, its minimum is not spent elsewhere: it rolls into the next target, so the monthly budget stays the same until the last debt goes. Ties are broken plainly: a balance tie goes to the higher APR, an APR tie to the smaller balance, then to the row order.
Which is cheaper. The avalanche usually pays less interest, because each extra dollar stops the dearest interest. The snowball clears whole debts sooner, which some people find easier to stick with. On the example debts the difference is $203.78 and one month. When some minimums do not cover their own interest, the order matters much more: the snowball can let a large, dear debt grow while it clears small ones.
The rest of the article, and all 6 questions about Debt Payoff Calculator, are on the Debt Payoff Calculator page.
Both methods pay every minimum and put all spare money on one debt at a time. The snowball targets the smallest balance first, so whole debts disappear sooner. The avalanche targets the highest APR first, so less interest is paid overall. On five example debts with $200 extra a month, the avalanche saves $203.78.
Paying the highest APR first costs the least interest in almost every case. A small balance with a similar rate can reasonably go first if clearing it quickly keeps the plan going. A debt whose minimum does not cover its own interest should come first either way, because on minimums alone its balance only grows.
The answer depends on the total owed, the APRs and the monthly budget. With $23,000 across five example debts, $750 of minimums and $200 extra a month, the avalanche finishes in 28 months. Paying only the minimums, with no roll-over from cleared debts, takes 66 months. Enter your own debts for your date.
A payment that does not beat the month's interest leaves the balance the same or larger. At 24% APR, a $10,000 balance charges $200 of interest in the first month, so a $150 minimum never clears it. The calculator names any debt in that position and stops a plan after 50 years.
Formula only: no rates or limits are read from an official source.
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