Have Debt on Multiple Credit Cards? How To Choose Which To Pay First

The average American has about four active credit cards. If you’re feeling the burden of a higher cost of living — from higher gas prices to rising grocery costs — it can be tough to make sure that each of your credit cards is getting paid on time.
While the goal should always be to pay the full statement balance, that’s not always possible. The May 2025 Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households report found that, in 2024, 46% of credit card owners said they carried a balance at least once during the prior 12 months.
CNBC Select offers some tips on how to manage credit card debt and things to consider when prioritizing your debt repayment.
Continue to make minimum payments
Even if you’re not able to pay off the full statement balance on all of your credit cards, you should aim to continue paying the minimum each card requires. This won’t eliminate your debt, but it will keep your account in good standing and help you avoid late payment fees. Making these minimum payments also keeps your credit score intact, as payment history accounts for 35% of your FICO Score.
For many credit cards, the required minimum payment is generally the higher of either a flat fee (around $25 to $40) or 1% to 3% of your statement balance, whichever is greater. Don’t expect paying the minimum to affect your debt in any meaningful way; you’re really just treading water to avoid additional fees or negative hits to your credit.
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Call your credit card issuers
Depending on your standing with your credit card issuers, you can call and request either a temporary or permanent APR reduction to make your debt repayment more manageable. While neither is guaranteed, a temporary reduction is more likely. You may have better success if this is your first time requesting help or if you’ve been a customer for a longer period of time.
If you happen to miss a credit card payment, some banks and issuers might be willing to waive the late payment fee, especially if it’s the first time you’ve missed one. Discover credit cards, for example, generally waive your first late payment fee and don’t charge a penalty APR.
Check your cards’ APRs
If you’re paying down multiple debts, it’s often recommended to tackle the card with the highest APR first, since it’s costing you the most money overall. This is known as the avalanche method, and it’s meant to save you the most in interest — but it might not work for everyone.
If you enjoy a quick win, you could also consider trying the snowball method. Instead of paying off the highest APR first, you focus on the lowest. This can help you quickly eliminate one source of debt (even if it isn’t the most expensive debt), which can be a great early motivator.
One consideration when choosing a debt payoff method is how much of your credit you’re using. The general rule of thumb is to use under 30% of your available credit. So, if you have three credit cards, each with a $10,000 limit, you’ll want to keep your total spending under $9,000 across all cards. Your credit utilization ratio accounts for 30% of your FICO Score, so it may make sense to focus on the card with the highest individual ratio first.
While this might not be the most direct way of reducing your debt, it could save you from tanking your credit score in the meantime.
Create a timeline
Once you’ve taken inventory of all your cards and their debt levels, and determined the order in which you want to pay them off, decide how much you can realistically put aside each month toward payoff.
When determining your monthly payments, consider using a free online debt repayment calculator to explore potential contributions and how many months it will take to pay off your debt. Doing so can also help you get a better idea of how much interest you’ll pay.
Also consider setting a