AmortMapWhat a given loan amount actually costs per month, and over its life.

How to pay off $5,500 in credit card debt at 29% APR

$5,500 at 29% APR
$230a month clears it in three years
paying the $188 minimum instead takes 21.1 years and $12,078 in interest
Years to clear the balance21.1 yrminimum only$188/mo at first3 yr$230/mo fixedsame card, same rate2 yr$305/mo fixed1 yr$533/mo fixedThe minimum shrinks as the balance does — that is why it takes 21.1 years
Minimum payment, first month1% of the balance plus that month's interest, floored at $25$188
Years on minimums only$12,078 of interest — 220% of what was borrowed21.1 years
Clear in 12 months$902 interest$533/mo
Clear in 24 months$1,813 interest$305/mo
Clear in 36 months$2,797 interest$230/mo
Clear in 60 months$4,975 interest$175/mo
Interest accruing right now$1,595 a year if the balance never moves$132.92 a month

Notes

  • The minimum payment is designed to last. At $188 it clears this balance in 21.1 years and costs $12,078 in interest — 220% of the amount borrowed. The reason is that the minimum falls as the balance falls, so the payment shrinks just as fast as the debt does.
  • A fixed payment is the whole fix. Paying $230 every month regardless of what the statement asks clears it in three years for $2,797. Nothing else about the account has to change.
  • A 0% balance transfer is worth about $1,813 here, less the transfer fee of 3–5% ($165–$275). It only helps if the balance is actually cleared inside the promotional window; the rate afterwards is usually higher than the one you left.
  • Interest is charged daily on the average balance, not once at month end. Paying mid-cycle reduces that average and therefore the charge, which is why two people paying the same total in the same month can be charged different amounts.

The short answer

$5,500 at 29% APR takes 21.1 years to clear on minimum payments, and costs $12,078 in interest on the way.

Paying a fixed $230 a month instead clears it in three years for $2,797.

Fixed payments, every option

Cleared in Payment Interest
12 months $533 —
24 months $305 —
36 months $230 $2,797
60 months $175 —
minimums only $188 at first $12,078

Why the minimum takes 21.1 years

The usual minimum is 1% of the balance plus that month's interest, floored at $25. Because it is a percentage of the balance, it falls as fast as the debt does.

Every payment shrinks the next payment. The schedule flattens out and stays flat. That is not a side effect — a balance that clears quickly earns nothing.

The fix is not a bigger payment forever. It is a fixed payment: pay $230 every month regardless of what the statement asks, and nothing else about the account has to change.

Interest accrues daily, not monthly

At 29% this balance is accruing about $132.92 a month, and it is calculated on the average daily balance.

Two consequences most statements do not spell out. Paying mid-cycle rather than on the due date lowers that average and therefore the charge. And a balance carried even once usually loses the grace period, so new purchases start accruing immediately rather than at the end of the next cycle.

Balance transfers are worth about $2,797 here

A 0% promotional transfer saves the interest for the length of the promotion, minus a transfer fee of 3–5% — $165–$275 on this balance.

It only helps if the balance is actually cleared inside the window. The go-to rate afterwards is usually higher than the one being left, and the promotion does not restart.

Order of attack when there are several cards

Highest rate first costs the least in total. Smallest balance first clears accounts soonest and is easier to keep going.

The gap between the two is usually small in dollars and large in whether the plan survives to month twelve. Pick the one you will still be doing next year.

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