Calculators
Jul 12, 2026
Why Minimum Credit Card Payments Take 30 Years — DTI Ratio, the Debt Spiral Condition, and Scenario Analysis
The minimum payment on a £5,000 credit card balance at 20% APR takes 28-32 years to repay and costs £7,500-9,000 in interest — more than the original debt. Here's the DTI calculation (with thresholds), the mathematical condition for a debt spiral (monthly interest ≥ monthly payments), how to use a loan planner to diagnose whether you're in slow-motion debt spiral territory, and the order-of-operations for debt vs saving decisions.