Debt payoff guides

Plain-English guides to getting out of debt — how the methods work, how interest really behaves, and how to build a plan you'll actually finish. No jargon, no products to sell you, and everything applies whatever currency you're in.

Getting started

• How to make a debt payoff plan in 7 steps

  From listing every debt honestly to automating payments and tracking progress — a complete, realistic plan you can set up this week.

• Debt snowball vs debt avalanche: which should you use?

  Smallest balance first, or highest rate first? A worked example of both methods, when each wins, and why the difference is often smaller than you'd think.

• How to find extra money each month to pay off debt

  Auditing your spending, trimming fixed bills and subscriptions, and capturing pay rises — without the miserable austerity that collapses by month two.

• Should you build an emergency fund while paying off debt?

  Cash earning nothing while your card charges 22% looks irrational. Here's why most plans start with a small buffer anyway — and when yours shouldn't.

Understanding your debts

• How credit card interest actually works

  APR, daily accrual, grace periods and the minimum-payment treadmill — and why every extra pound you pay works harder than you'd expect.

• 0% balance transfers: how to use them without getting burned

  How promotional rates and transfer fees really work, the five ways people get caught out, and the one rule that makes a transfer pay off.

• Debt consolidation loans: when they help and when they hurt

  One loan, one payment, lower rate — sometimes. The term trap, the re-spending trap, and the checklist to run before you sign anything.

If you're struggling

• What to do when you can't pay your debts

  Which debts to protect first, how to talk to creditors, and where to get genuinely free, confidential debt advice — no judgement, just the route through.

Also see how the snowball method works and our country-by-country list of free debt-help services.