Debt Repayment Guides
Practical guides to getting out of debt faster and for less money.
There are two credible ways to clear multiple debts, and they optimise for different things. The avalanche method targets the highest interest rate first and is mathematically optimal: it always costs the least in total interest and clears everything soonest. The snowball method targets the smallest balance first, which costs slightly more but produces a cleared account much sooner.
That second point matters more than the arithmetic suggests. The main reason repayment plans fail is not that the maths was wrong, it is that people stop following them. Clearing an entire debt early gives visible progress and frees a monthly payment to roll into the next one, and for many people that momentum is worth more than the interest saved.
Both methods share the same underlying mechanic. You keep paying the minimum on everything, direct every spare pound at one target debt, and when it clears you add its payment to the next. The total you pay each month never falls, so each successive debt is attacked harder than the last.
All guides
The Minimum Payment Trap: Why Paying Only the Minimum Costs You Thousands
How minimum payments are designed to keep you in debt longer, with real numbers on what it actually costs.
Debt Snowball vs Avalanche: What the Numbers Actually Show
Which method saves more money? Which is easier to stick to? A full comparison of both strategies.
How to Pay Off Debt Fast: 10 Proven Strategies
Practical steps to accelerate your debt-free date — from boosting payments to negotiating better rates.
How to Get Out of Debt in the UK
A complete guide to UK debt options: repayment plans, balance transfers, consolidation loans, and free debt help services.
Choosing a method and starting
The honest guidance is to run both through the calculator with your actual balances and rates, and look at the gap. If avalanche saves a trivial amount, take the snowball and the motivation that comes with it. If the gap is large, which usually means one debt carries a much higher rate than the rest, the avalanche is worth the patience.
Two caveats no calculator captures. If any debt is at risk of default or is a priority debt such as rent, council tax or a secured loan, deal with that first regardless of rate or balance. And if the total is genuinely unmanageable rather than just uncomfortable, free debt advice from StepChange or Citizens Advice is a better starting point than any repayment plan.
Jump straight to a tool: debt payoff calculator, snowball vs avalanche compared, how to pay off debt faster, the minimum payment trap.