Two methods dominate the debt payoff conversation, and they produce the same mathematical result if you finish them.
The difference is what happens to your brain along the way, and that turns out to matter more than most people expect.
The avalanche method attacks the highest interest rate first while paying minimums on everything else.
If you're carrying a $6,000 balance at 26% and a $2,000 balance at 9%, every spare dollar goes at the 26% card.
The snowball method ignores interest rates and targets the smallest balance first.
You knock out that $400 store card in six weeks, then roll its payment into the next-smallest debt.
It costs more in interest over time, but you get a win fast.
Researchers at Harvard Business School and Boston College studied real borrowers and found something counterintuitive.
People who focused on small wins were more likely to stick with repayment and actually finish.
Closing an account entirely gave them momentum that a slightly lower balance on a big card never delivered.
So the honest answer is: avalanche saves money, snowball saves follow-through.
For a lot of households, follow-through is the scarce resource.
Run the snowball on your first two or three smallest debts to build momentum, then switch to avalanche once you've got a rhythm.
Some people do the reverse, clearing a high-rate card first, then pivoting to quick wins.
One thing both methods need to work: a real number.
Add up your minimum payments, subtract them from what you can actually throw at debt each month, and you'll know whether you have $50 or $500 of firepower.
Balance transfer offers with a 3% to 5% upfront fee can be worth it if you clear the balance inside the promotional window, but they're a money loser if you don't.
And a debt consolidation loan only helps if you stop adding new charges to the cards you just paid off.
If you're not sure which direction to go, pick the one you'll still be doing in March.
A slightly worse plan you follow beats a perfect plan you abandon by February.
The bottom line: the debt payoff industry sells optimization, but most people quit before optimization matters.
Final Thoughts
Pick the method that keeps you opening the app, and let the math catch up later.