Uzmanlar, her doları 35 bin $ kredi kartı borcuna yatırmanın geri tepebileceğini söylüyor. İşte başka bir yaklaşım

Experts say putting every dollar toward $35,000 in credit card debt could backfire — here's another approach

Aditi Ganguly

Wed, August 12, 2026 at 1:35 PM GMT+3 8 min read

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In early 2026, the average American had $6,595 in credit card debt (1). While this doesn't seem like an unmanageable sum, credit card debt comes at a high interest rate and most cards typically set low minimum payments, which can keep people in debt for decades.

Unfortunately, some people have far more than the average debt, which can put them in a precarious financial position. Let's pretend, for example, that Laurel is 30, was unemployed for a year and now has $35,000 in credit card debt with $0 savings.

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Laurel has now found work and is looking to start to rebuild her finances. But she's not sure if she should start investing, put all her money towards paying off the $35,000, or put some cash into a savings account.

So, what's the best approach?

A blended approach may be the best bet

The most straightforward solution here is for Laurel to get very aggressive in paying down debt and put most or all of her spare cash into eliminating the $35,000 that she owes her creditors.

"I think that mathematically, we'd always want to be paying down the debt given the [interest] rates can be severely high," Clifford Cornell, a CFP and financial advisor at Bone Fide Wealth, told Moneywise (2).

In fact, the average credit card interest rate is 20.94% as of May 2026 (3).

If Laurel's card charges the average rate and there are 30 days in her billing cycle, she'd face interest charges of about $600 per month (4).

However, Cornell pointed out a problem with this approach.

"Using all the cash on hand to pay the debt may result in leveraging the credit card for liquidity and to cover expenses and starting the cycle of debt again," he said.

Because of this, Cornell recommends "a split-funding arrangement," or putting some money into savings until Laurel has several thousand dollars in cash saved up.

"Some may disagree, but I think a barrier to the cycle of debt can be powerful," Cornell said.

This is also the approach recommended by finance expert Dave Ramsey.

Ramsey's popular Baby Steps program, which aims to help people achieve financial freedom, recommends saving a "baby" emergency fund of $1,000 before switching to debt payoff (5). That way, when faced with a surprise expense, you don't have to go back into debt and lose momentum on your payoff efforts.

Laurel may also want to invest enough in her 401(k) to earn any available employer matching funds, as a 50% or 100% matching contribution provides free money and offers a guaranteed return equal to the rate of the match.

However, once Laurel has earned her maximum match and saved $1,000 for surprise expenses, the experts recommend that every dollar should go to the debt to get it paid off ASAP.

Lowering the interest rate on the credit card debt is another solution

Laurel may also want to think outside the box and consider ways she could significantly reduce the interest rate she's paying on her $35,000 in debt.

For example, she might be able to get a $35,000 personal loan to lower her rate to around 12% (6).

If she took a five-year loan at that rate, she'd pay $779, incur total interest charges of $11,713 over the life of the loan and have a clear payoff date (7).

She could choose to accelerate the payoff time even further by increasing the amount she pays each month. But even if she just sticks to that payment schedule, she'll be debt-free in half a decade, save a fortune in interest and free up more money to put towards other goals.

If you find yourself in a similar situation, platforms like Credible can help you compare personal loan options.

You can comparison-shop for the lowest interest rates through Credible's online marketplace with just a few clicks.

You can find personal loans starting at 5.96% APR. Credible also offers a best rate guarantee — and if you close with a better rate than you prequalify for on the platform, you'll get a $200 gift card.

In less than three minutes, you'll see all the lenders willing to help pay off your credit cards or other debts with a single personal loan.

If you owe a substantial amount, you may also want to see if you qualify for a debt relief program to help clear a substantial portion of your debt.

With Freedom Debt Relief, you can speak with a certified debt relief consultant for free, who can show you how much you can save by partnering with them.

If you're eligible, they can negotiate settlements with your creditors until all of your enrolled debt is resolved.

Laurel should explore her options, decide on how much she thinks she should save for emergencies and create a financial plan that will help her build a much more secure future.

An easier way to build a "baby" emergency fund

In addition to Cornell's advice that a blended approach helps break the cycle of debt, a Vanguard study found that having just $2,000 in emergency savings boosts your sense of financial well-being by 21% compared to having no cash cushion at all (8).

And the good news is that you don't have to do all the heavy lifting on your own.

Use a high-yield account

Since your emergency funds need to remain accessible, consider a high-yield account. This way, your cash stays liquid for emergencies while quietly earning solid interest in the meantime.

A high-yield account like a Wealthfront Cash Account can be a great place to grow your uninvested cash, offering both competitive interest rates and easy access to your money when you need it.

A Wealthfront Cash Account currently offers a base APY of 3.30% through program banks and new clients can get an extra 0.75% boost during their first three months on up to $150,000 for a total variable APY of 4.05%.

That's ten times the national deposit savings rate, according to the FDIC's March report.

Additionally, Wealthfront is offering new clients who enable direct deposit ($1,000/monthly minimum) to their Cash Account and open and fund a new investment account an additional 0.25% APY increase with no expiration date or balance limit, meaning your APY could be as high as 4.30%.

With no minimum balances or account fees, as well as 24/7 withdrawals and free domestic wire transfers, your funds remain accessible at all times. Plus, you get access to up to $8 million FDIC Insurance eligibility through program banks.

Get into the habit of investing

Once your high-interest debt is under control and you've got some cash set aside, consider getting into the habit of investing. You don't necessarily have to wait until every last dollar of debt is repaid before investing a cent.

Investing spare change from everyday purchases can also make a difference if you do it consistently over time.

For instance, investing $20 each week for 30 years can help you save over $179,000, assuming a 10% annual compound rate (9).

Invest in a portfolio managed by experts

Apps like Acorns allow users to invest spare change from everyday purchases automatically — helping them steadily build wealth without having to think about every market move.

All you have to do is link your cards and Acorns will round up each purchase to the nearest dollar, investing the difference — your spare change — into a diversified portfolio of ETFs managed by experts at leading investment firms like Vanguard and BlackRock. Over a lifetime, a little bit of consistency can go a long way.

With Acorns, you can invest in an S&P 500 ETF built and managed by experts with as little as $5 — and, if you sign up today and set up a recurring investment, Acorns will add a $20 bonus to help you begin your investment journey.

- With files from Christy Bieber.