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Look—if you have 3 credit cards, there’s a very good chance you’re doing this thing that feels normal… but it can quietly cost you 10,000 in interest. And the wild part is it’s not because you’re “bad with money.” It’s because the system is designed to make a very specific mistake feel like progress. My name is Victor and I spend way too much time thinking about credit card interest, debt payoff strategies, and why smart people keep getting trapped by “minimum payments.” And if you’re someone who has multiple cards, keeps moving balances around, sometimes pays one card… then the other card creeps back up… and you feel like you’re working hard but the debt barely moves—make sure to hit the subscribe button and give this video a thumbs up if this help you out. Because today is not a “stop buying lattes” lecture. Today is a rule—simple, slightly annoying, extremely effective—that can save you up to 10,000 in interest if you have 3 credit cards and you’ve been paying them in the common “logical” order. Here’s the thing… most people assume, “If I pay a little extra across all my cards, that’s responsible.” Like spreading peanut butter evenly, right Nice and fair. But credit card debt is not peanut butter. It’s more like 3 leaking buckets, and one of them has a much bigger hole. If you try to patch all three holes at once, you stay wet longer. And this matters more than ever because rates are nasty right now. Experian cites an average credit card APR of 23.37 as of Q3 2024, and also reports the average U.S. credit card balance at 6,730 Q3 2024. So if you’re carrying balances across 3 cards, you’re not playing a casual little “I’ll pay it off eventually” game—your interest rate is basically a subscription you didn’t mean to buy. If you have 3 credit cards, use this rule Rule Pay minimums on 2 cards and attack only 1 card with every extra dollar—specifically, the card with the highest APR the “avalanche”. Um… yes, that’s it. And I know it sounds too simple, so here’s what most people don’t realise… the math difference between “spread your extra payments” and “concentrate your extra payments” can be thousands because the highAPR balance is the one generating the fastestgrowing interest. And this is where it gets really interesting… the avalanche method isn’t just mathematically better—when done correctly, it also reduces the psychological whiplash that keeps people stuck in revolving debt. Now, quick note if you need quick emotional wins to stay consistent, there’s a version that uses the “smallest balance first” approach snowball. But in this video, the promise is “save 10,000 in interest,” so we’re focusing on the highestinterestfirst rule. Let’s make this painfully real. You’ve got 3 cards Card A 9,000 at 29 APR Card B 7,000 at 24 APR Card C 4,000 at 18 APR Total 20,000 This APR range is not some fantasy scenario—Experian points out that credit card APRs have been extremely high, and cites an average APR above 23 Q3 2024. Let’s say your minimum payments across all cards add up to 500month. And you can throw 400 extra on top, so you can pay 900month total. The mistake most people make Most people go “I’ll be responsible. I’ll split the extra 400 across the 3 cards.” So maybe 133 extra each. That feels balanced… and it’s exactly how you stay in debt longer. Instead, you do this Pay minimum on Card B. Pay minimum on Card C. Every remaining dollar goes to Card A 29 APR. Why Because interest is literally calculated on the balance—so the highest APR balance is your emergency. If Card A is charging you around 29 APR, that’s roughly 2.4 per month in interest very rough. On a 9,000 balance, that’s roughly 216month just to exist. If your payment strategy doesn’t crush Card A quickly, you’re basically paying a monthly “nothing changed” fee. When you kill the highest APR first, you reduce the total interest “engine” earlier in the timeline. That often shortens the payoff period by months—or even years—compared with splitting extra payments, and that time difference is where the 5figure interest savings shows up. To anchor this in reality Experian’s data shows many consumers carry meaningful balances average 6,730, and at APRs around 23 the interest cost compounds quickly when payoff takes longer. And yes—your exact savings depends on your exact APRs, balances, and payments, but the direction is extremely consistent highest APR first saves the most interest. Now, you might be thinking “Victor… I already knew ‘pay highest APR first.’ Why don’t I just do it” Because the brain hates one thing feeling like nothing is happening. Here’s what’s going on psychologically Progress illusion Paying a little on every card feels like you’re “handling everything.” Avoidance People avoid looking at which card is truly expensive because it creates anxiety. Minimum payment hypnosis Minimums create a false sense of safety—like the problem is “managed.” Decision fatigue With 3 cards, you’re constantly making microdecisions, so you default to the easiest pattern spread it out. But debt payoff needs fewer decisions, not more. A good system makes the “right thing” the default thing. Think of it like trying to drain a flooded basement with three hoses running. If one hose is blasting water in at double speed, you don’t evenly mop the whole floor—you shut off the biggest hose first. Here’s Victor’s distinctive “do this today” plan if you have 3 cards. Step 1 Write the “3card snapshot” 10 minutes Make a note with Balance APR Minimum payment Due date Don’t optimize yet. Just make it visible. Step 2 Pick your “Target Card” Target Card highest APR. That’s the one you attack with every extra dollar. Step 3 Automate minimums on the other 2 Minimums on the other 2 cards should be on autopay if possible. This prevents accidental late payments while you focus fire on the Target Card. Step 4 Create a “single extra payment” ritual One extra payment per paycheck or per week to the Target Card. Not three extra payments, not “whatever’s left,” not “I’ll do it end of month.” Here’s what most people don’t realise… small midmonth payments reduce the average daily balance sooner, which can reduce interest charged in many billing setups. Step 5 Use the “limit lock” If you’re still using the cards while paying them off, do this Pick one card for spending preferably the lowest APR or a card you always pay off, and freeze the other 2—physically or digitally. Not forever. Just until the Target Card is dead. Step 6 When Target Card hits 0, roll the payment This is the fun part. The money you were throwing at Card A now rolls to Card B, then Card C. Your payment doesn’t change—your results accelerate. But I want to improve my credit score—won’t paying off one card hurt” Credit scoring is complex, but utilization is widely discussed as an important factor, and Experian reports average utilization levels and their relationship to score bands. Paying down balances usually helps utilization, and lowering balances is generally directionally positive for credit health—especially compared to staying maxed or near maxed. And if your goal is a specific score by a specific month—like before a mortgage—then strategy can get more precise. “But the minimum payments are different—shouldn’t I attack the card with the biggest minimum” No. The minimum is just what the issuer requires. The APR is what determines how aggressively the balance fights back. “I tried this and still got nowhere.” Then one of three things is happening Your extra payment is too small relative to the interest being generated at very high APRs Experian cites average APRs above 23. You’re still charging new spending onto the cards while paying them down. The plan isn’t automated, so you’re relying on motivation. Let’s do a quick story that’s basically half of America right now. Someone has 3 cards, they’re juggling, they’re paying like 800 to 1,000 a month, and they keep saying “I’m paying so much—why is it not dropping” Then they finally line up the cards by APR and realize one card is charging near the mid20s or higher—right in the range that Experian and other industry reporting shows has become common. They stop trying to be “fair” to their cards, and they start being fair to their future. Within 60 to 90 days, something changes not the total debt yet, but the feeling. Because one balance starts falling faster than it rises. And once you get that first card to zero, your monthly payment power effectively jumps—because you freed up that minimum payment and rolled it into the next target. That’s when the payoff curve bends hard, and that bend is where the thousands in interest savings live. Look… credit card companies are not villains for charging interest. But they absolutely profit from one very common behavior people with multiple cards paying “a little extra everywhere” and staying in debt longer at APRs that Experian reports have been at record highs. So here’s the challenge tonight, do the 3card snapshot, circle the highest APR, and make that your Target Card for the next 30 days. No dramatic lifestyle overhaul—just a smarter order of operations. If you want, drop a comment with “3 cards” and your APRs just the APRs, no personal info, and a payoff number you can realistically hit each month, and you’ll get a clear “which card first” answer. And if this helped you stop donating money to interest, hit subscribe—because this channel is basically a support group for people who are done making expensive money mistakes.