The two most popular strategies for paying off credit card debt are what are called the “snowball” method and the “avalanche” method. We’ll describe both in a moment. But before you use either method, you’ll need to make a list of all your credit cards:  Balance Interest rate Minimum monthly payment  With the snowball method, you pay off your credit cards from smallest to largest, regardless of interest rate. So you’ll make the minimum payments on each card except the one with the smallest balance. You’ll pay as much as you can each month toward that debt until it is paid off.  Then you’ll “roll up” that payment to the card with the next smallest balance. As you pay off more debts, the amount you'll have available to pay on the next debt will "snowball," which is where the name comes from.  The avalanche method is similar except you pay off the card with the highest interest rate first, and then work your way down the list from highest interest rate to lowest interest rate.  With both methods you will make your minimum payment on all your debts except for the debt you are targeting at the moment. It’s essential you make your minimum payments on time to avoid damage to your credit reports.  That said, if you can’t afford to make the minimum payments on your credit cards, you’ll want to seek out professional help to get back on track.