Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, 100% free. All our calculators are available without signup, payment, or hidden fees. We may earn commissions if you choose to apply for financial products we recommend, but that never affects your calculator results or costs you anything extra.

No. The debt balances, interest rates, and payment amounts you enter are processed in your browser and are not stored on our servers.

If you choose to email yourself a PDF of your plan, we only store your email address to deliver the report. Your financial data is used to generate the PDF and then discarded—it's never saved to a database.

When you copy a shareable link, your debt information is encoded directly into the URL. When you or anyone opens the link, the calculator decodes the data and recalculates the results. No data is stored on our servers—everything travels in the link itself.

Snowball: Pay off your smallest balance first. This gives you quick wins and psychological momentum, which helps many people stay motivated.

Avalanche: Pay off your highest interest rate first. This saves you the most money mathematically, but the first payoff might take longer.

The best strategy is the one you'll stick with. If you need motivation from quick wins, choose Snowball. If you're disciplined and want to save the most money, choose Avalanche.

Use our Compare Calculator to see the exact difference for your specific debts.

A balance transfer can save you money if you have high-interest credit card debt and can qualify for a 0% APR offer. However, you need to factor in transfer fees (typically 3-5%) and make sure you can pay off the balance before the promotional period ends.

Use our Balance Transfer Calculator to see if it makes sense for your situation.

Consolidation can simplify your payments and potentially lower your interest rate. It's often a good choice if you have multiple high-interest debts and can qualify for a lower-rate personal loan.

Use our Consolidation Calculator to compare your current debts against a consolidation loan.

Your APR (Annual Percentage Rate) can be found on your monthly statement, in your online account, or on your original loan/credit card agreement. For credit cards, look for "Purchase APR" or "Interest Rate." If you have multiple APRs (purchase vs. cash advance), use the one that applies to most of your balance.

Check your most recent statement or online account. For credit cards, minimum payments are typically 1-3% of your balance (with a minimum of $25-35). For loans, it's your fixed monthly payment amount.

Our calculators use standard amortization formulas and provide accurate estimates based on the information you enter. However, actual results may vary slightly due to:

• Varying minimum payment calculations by lenders
• Interest rate changes (for variable-rate debts)
• Fees or charges not included in the calculation
• Rounding differences between lenders