Money in One Chart

bad month

Paying a little extra on every card can keep you in debt for years.

There are two payoff orders that work. Spreading the extra across five accounts is not one of them.

You asked for the payoff order worksheet. It is below, as the slides from the post, then the one move, then the tool the chart points at.

Slide 1 of 7: Paying a little extra on every card can keep you in debt for years.Slide 2 of 7: The average card charged this much on balances carried over, in the second quarter of 2026.Slide 3 of 7: Highest rate first saves the most money. Smallest balance first keeps the most people going.Slide 4 of 7: Spread across five accounts, an extra payment disappears into interest and nothing ever closes.Slide 5 of 7: The rate-first order looks obviously better on paper, and it is, but paper does not make the payments.Slide 6 of 7: Three steps, in about twenty minutes.Slide 7 of 7: Save this for the night you finally list them all.

Three steps, in about twenty minutes.

  1. 01
    List every balance and its APR.The rate is usually on page one of the statement, near the top.
  2. 02
    Pick the order.Rate first if you finish things. Balance first if you need an early win.
  3. 03
    Set every other account to autopay the minimum.So the only decision left each month is the one extra payment.

The tool this chart points at

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Sources: Federal Reserve G.19 Consumer Credit, Q2 2026.

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