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M. Munir
M. Munir

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The minimum payment trap visualized — $10K at 20% takes 19 YEARS to pay off

I built a credit card debt statistics page with a "minimum payment trap" table that shows exactly how long it takes to pay off different balances at 20% APR:

  • $5,000 → 17 years, $9,800 total paid
  • $10,000 → 19 years, $21,600 total paid
  • $15,000 → 20+ years, $35,400 total paid
  • $20,000 → 22+ years, $49,200 total paid

You're paying 2-2.5x the original balance in interest alone.

Full data + solutions: https://www.freefincalc.net/credit-card-data/credit-card-debt-statistics

Free payoff calculator: https://www.freefincalc.net/credit-card-payoff-calculator

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