I continue to clean up my huge archive. I often delete old, silly content, but this topic is still valid. You are shocked if you carry a large credit card balance and make only minimum payments. Look for how long it will take to pay off the balance (this information should be in your statement). This was initially published back in 2010.
My current credit card balance is relatively large this month. This is due to several specific expenses that were previously planned. There are also a couple of additional costs that we hadn’t planned for. The bill will be paid on time. There is no need to worry about starting a cycle of credit card interest charges. That’s my plan unless I forget to pay on time.
Having wandered through the wonderland of spending, I tripped across the following sentence:
19 years? Aye, Carumba, that is an astounding time frame. I estimate that if we were making this same payment, the effective yearly rate would be about 20%. I would end up paying back 500% of the initial amount on the credit line once all payments are made. Pretty cool, eh?
I realize that sometimes folks’ spending gets out of control. Sometimes, bad things happen that knock you off your financial feet. If this happens, you must fight to get back to paying off the entire credit card balance monthly. The interest rates on Credit Cards can be over 20% and will dig a deep financial debt hole for you.
Stop Paying Credit Card Interest
Some ideas you can do to stop paying Credit Card interest:
- Set up an unsecured line of credit. This can be good if you treat it as an Emergency only credit vehicle. Typically this has a lower interest rate, but it has risks. If you habitually use the LOC to pay off Debt, reconsider this approach. It may not be effective if you can't pay off that balance.
- Consolidation loans or consolidation into your mortgage sounds good. If you use it once, it can get you back on track. If you use it habitually, that is a terrible thing. You are digging a bigger debt hole, more slowly.
- Borrow it from a family or friend? The last resort and it can destroy relationships, but it could work, the short term.
- Pay Day Loans? Absolutely, positively NO! Consult a licensed insolvency professional before you do this.
The amazing things you can read on your credit card statement.
Credit Card Minimum Payments FAQ
Often 15–20 years, depending on your balance, rate, and spending habits.
Potentially 4–5x your original balance, 500% repayment isn’t unusual if you stick to minimums.
Around 19–22% annually for standard cards, sometimes higher for store cards.
Pay in full monthly, use a lower-interest LOC, or consolidate responsibly. Never resort to payday loans.
Excellent post!
What is even more shocking is that (at least in the U.S.) prior to the Card Act of 2009, lenders didn’t even have to include that surreal little statement.
I remember seeing one statement a couple of years ago that said it would be something like 72 years to pay it back at the minimum. I admired their confidence in my longitivtiy! Perhaps that’s the real fountain of youth … pay your cards off at the minimum rate and they will assure you of staying alive for many many more years. Hehe.
The minimum payment warning was part of the new CARD Act that passed in the U.S. to reform the credit card industry. They did it because some people didn’t realize it would take decades to pay off their cards by making the minimum payment.
I didn’t realize they would use it in Canada.
Guess we got that one for free.
I think if you look at the question from the opposite direction you;ll find the answer to why credit card rates are so high.
If you had a million bucks and you want to earn 6% per year on your money by lending it to people. You know somewhere between 10%-15% of those people will not pay you back. What interest rate do you have to charge to earn 6% on your money taking in to account your losses?
Agreed, just a surreal time frame to see on a credit card bill. My first mortgage didn’t have that term!