Debt Snowball vs Avalanche Calculator: Which Costs Less
See which pays off your debts cheaper, snowball or avalanche: enter up to five debts and one monthly budget for the interest, months and payoff order of each.
If you owe on more than one card or loan, the order you clear them in changes how much interest you pay. The avalanche method puts every spare pound on the highest interest rate first; the snowball method clears the smallest balance first for a quicker win. Both keep your total monthly payment the same and roll each cleared debt's payment into the next. Enter your debts below to see, with your own figures, how many months and how much interest separates the two.
Your debts
Fill in at least two. Leave unused rows blank. Use the APR from your statement and the minimum payment you pay now.
Snowball or avalanche: how to read your result
Run the calculator with your real figures and the avalanche will almost always come out cheaper, because money sent to the highest APR stops the most expensive interest first. The snowball only matches it when your smallest debt also happens to carry the highest rate, as it can with a small store card.
The gap is often smaller than people expect. When the saving is a few pounds, pick the method you will actually stick to: a cleared account in month three can be worth more than a slightly lower total if it stops you giving up. When the saving runs into hundreds of pounds, the avalanche is usually worth the slower first win.
Three things that matter more than the method
- Pay the same total every month. Both methods only work because the payment from a cleared debt moves to the next one rather than going back into spending. Set one standing order or direct debit total and leave it alone.
- Stop adding to the balances. The figures assume no new borrowing. If a card keeps being used, no order of repayment will clear it.
- Check for a cheaper rate first. Moving a high-APR card to a 0% balance transfer can change the maths more than either method; to compare, enter the new APR and add any transfer fee to that balance.
For the payment-collection change that cuts interest without paying more, read how to pay off debt in the UK. If your budget does not cover your minimum payments, free, confidential help is available from StepChange, National Debtline and Citizens Advice.
