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Debt consolidation calculator
Figure out how much you could save by combining all your debt into a new loan
Debt consolidation combines all your monthly loan and credit card payments into one — potentially saving you a good chunk on interest.
How to calculate debt consolidation savings
Before you can start calculating potential savings with debt consolidation, you’ll need each loan’s interest rate and payoff balance. Then using that information, you can calculate the weighted average interest rate for all your loans with the following steps:
- Multiply each of your loan balances by their individual interest rates (ex. $1,000 X 10% = 100). This will give you each loan’s weight.
- Add all the weight factors together.
- Divide the total weight factor by the number of loans and round to the nearest percent.
The number you’re left with is the average weighted interest rate for all the loans you want to consolidate.
With your loans’ average weighted interest rate, you can now compare debt consolidation rate offers to see if you’re likely to save money by consolidating — or if you’d be better off keeping things separate.
Terms to know for debt consolidation
Use the definitions below to better understand and compare your debt consolidation loan options.
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Balance | The combined amount that you owe on all of your loans and credit cards. Also, the new balance on a debt consolidation loan. |
| Debt amount | How much you currently owe on a credit card or personal loan. |
| Interest rate | The percentage of your credit card or loan balance that your lender charges over a year. |
| Loan length | How much time you have to pay off your new debt consolidation loan. Also known as the loan term. |
| Monthly payment | How much you pay on your loan or credit card each month. Or, after consolidating your debt, how much you would pay each month on a debt consolidation loan with that rate and term. |
| Total balance paid | The total amount you’ll pay to get out of debt, including the loan balance and total interest paid. |
| Total interest paid | The total amount you’ll pay in interest while paying back your loan. If you enter the loan’s APR, this field shows your loan’s total cost including interest and fees. |
| Total monthly payments | How much you currently pay each month on all of the credit cards and loans you want to consolidate. |
| Years to pay off | How much time it will take you to get out of debt. If you consolidate your debt, this is your loan term. |
What are my debt consolidation options?
If you have debt from numerous loans and credit cards and planning on repaying it over a longer period of time, consider taking out a debt consolidation loan. If you’re able to afford paying off your debt within one year and can snag a 0% APR, then a balance transfer credit card may be better for you.
Whichever route is best for you, check out one of our tables below by clicking on each tab to see our list of offers.
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What is the Finder Score?
The Finder Score crunches 6+ types of personal loans across 50+ lenders. It takes into account the product's interest rate, fees and features, as well as the type of loan eg investor, variable, fixed rate - this gives you a simple score out of 10.
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How the Finder Score helps you find a better credit card
The Finder Score is a simple score out of 10. The higher a savings account's score, the better we think it is for the average customer.
We score each credit card in our database of hundreds based on a data-driven methodology with 3 main criteria: Does the card offer rewards? Does the card have an annual fee? What's the card APR%?
How can I maximize my savings?
Maximize savings by choosing the shortest loan term. While it will increase your monthly repayments, it should reduce how much you pay in interest. Crunch some numbers and figure out how much you can comfortably afford to pay each month.
Qualifying for a lower interest rate can also help you save money. You can take steps to improve your credit to make sure that your personal credit score is strong. Or you can simply take the time to compare your options to see which lender offers the most competitive rate.
Finally, consider prequalifying with a few lenders to see what types of rates and terms you’re eligible for. You can start your search with the table below.
Bottom line
Consolidating debt is especially a smart move when you have high-interest accounts. If you have debts with double-digit interest rates, you could save thousands with debt consolidation.
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