Two ways out.
Pick on purpose.

Hi there — paying down debt is mostly one decision repeated: where does the extra dollar go? Here's how the two proven methods actually work.

20+ yrs

How long a high-rate card can drag on when you pay only the minimum — a little extra each month collapses it.

Minimum only

~20 yrs

+ a fixed extra

~4 yrs

01 · The avalanche

Highest rate first pays the least

The fact: if you attack the debt with the highest interest rate first — while paying minimums on the rest — you pay the least total interest, mathematically. The balance size doesn't matter; the rate does. A small balance at 24% costs you more per dollar than a big one at 6%. Orbiq's recurring detection surfaces every card and loan payment in one place, so you can rank them by what they're actually charging you.

02 · The snowball

Smallest balance first keeps you going

The fact: paying the smallest balance first costs slightly more interest but clears whole debts fast — and each cleared debt is a win that keeps you in the game. The best method is the one you'll actually finish. Watch your total number of open debts drop in Orbiq as accounts hit zero, and the motivation takes care of itself.

03 · The minimum trap

Minimums are designed to last

The fact: paying only the minimum on a high-rate card can stretch a modest balance into years — sometimes decades — because most of each payment goes to interest, not principal. Even a small fixed amount above the minimum shortens the timeline dramatically. Orbiq tracks what you actually pay each card month to month, so a payment that quietly shrank back to the minimum doesn't slip past you.

04 · The extra dollar

Find the payment, then aim it

The fact: a canceled subscription or trimmed category is only useful for debt if the freed-up money is redirected on purpose — otherwise it evaporates into everyday spending. Orbiq's subscription and recurring views help you find the freed dollars, and a debt-payoff goal gives them somewhere to land, so progress is deliberate instead of accidental.

Set up a payoff goal →

Tip

When one debt hits zero, roll its whole payment onto the next one instead of pocketing it. That "payment stacking" is what turns a slow grind into a fast finish — avalanche or snowball.

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Two ways out.Pick on purpose.

Highest rate first pays the least

Smallest balance first keeps you going

Minimums are designed to last

Find the payment, then aim it

Two ways out.
Pick on purpose.