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# Minimum payment or fixed instalment: what paying little costs

If you pay a percentage of what you owe, the payment falls along with the debt and the time stretches out a lot. In the example, €2,000 at 18% TIN paid at 3% of the balance, with a €25 minimum, takes 103 months and costs €1,463 in interest; at a fixed €60, 47 months and €793.

Filip Sardjoski ([About](https://orwanna.com/en/about/)) · Updated: 16 October 2026 · Reviewed by: Not yet

## What is a revolving card's minimum payment?

It's the least the contract lets you pay each month. Each issuer works it out its own way, almost always as a percentage with a minimum in euros.

Some examples, from each issuer's documents or Asufin's 2025 survey:

| Card | Minimum payment |
|---|---|
| WiZink cards (terms from January 2026) | The higher of €40 and 2.5% of the money used plus the month's interest, fees and insurance |
| Cetelem credit card | 3.70% of the most you've ever owed, or €9 if that's less |
| Visa & Go, from CaixaBank | 1.5% of the debt, per Asufin |
| Bankintercard Platinum | 2.5%, with an €18 minimum, per Asufin |

Banco de España warns that with a small payment you may not even cover the month's interest, and the debt can grow.

## What's the difference between paying a percentage and a fixed instalment?

With a percentage of what you owe, the payment falls as the debt falls, so each month you pay off less. With a fixed instalment you pay the same each month, and a growing share of it goes to the debt.

In the example of €2,000 at 18% TIN, paying 3% of the balance with a €25 minimum:

- In the first month you pay €60.90.
- After a year, €51.31.
- After two years, €42.57.
- From month 59 you pay the €25 minimum, until you finish in month 103.

With a fixed €60 payment, almost the same in the first month, you finish in month 47.

If your percentage is worked out on your limit or on the most you've ever owed, rather than on what you owe today, your payment doesn't fall as you pay. It behaves more like a fixed instalment. Check your contract or ask your issuer.

## How much does each way of paying cost?

In the example of €2,000 at 18% TIN, paying 3% of the balance costs almost twice the interest of a fixed €60 payment, even though you pay almost the same in the first month.

| Way of paying | First payment | Months to zero | Interest | Total paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed €40 | €40 | 94 | €1,724 | €3,724 |
| 3% of the balance, €25 minimum | €60.90 | 103 | €1,463 | €3,463 |
| Fixed €60 | €60 | 47 | €793 | €2,793 |
| 5% of the balance, €25 minimum | €101.50 | 63 | €728 | €2,728 |
| Fixed €100 | €100 | 24 | €396 | €2,396 |
| Fixed €60 plus €45 of round-ups | €105 | 23 | €373 | €2,373 |

5% of the balance starts at €101.50, more than the fixed €100, and still takes 63 months against 24.

**When will you finish?** Enter your balance, TIN and payment. You'll see how many months you have left and how much interest you pay, with and without round-ups. [Open the calculator](https://orwanna.com/en/calculator/)

## Can the debt grow even if I pay every month?

Yes, if what you pay doesn't cover the month's interest. With €2,000 at 18% TIN, the card charges €30 of interest in the first month: with a payment under €30, the debt goes up instead of down.

Our calculator tells you if that's your case: enter your balance, your TIN and your payment.

## What does your issuer have to show you?

At least every quarter: when you'd finish paying if you stop using the card, and how much you'd pay in total, split between what you owe and interest. If a year of your payments repays less than 25% of your limit, also what would happen if you raised your payment by 20%, 50% or 100%, and what payment would clear it all in a year.

Orden EHA/2899/2011 says so, in the articles added by Orden ETD/699/2020. That 25% is what your issuer must aim for when assessing whether you can afford the credit, not a compulsory minimum payment. Banco de España explains that the higher-payment examples apply from 6 October 2022.

Also, if you ask, your issuer has to give you within five working days the payments you've made, what you owe and an amortisation table. All of this information is free.

## How do I switch to a fixed or higher instalment?

Ask your issuer in its app, on its website or by phone. At WiZink and Cetelem you do it in the app, and Cetelem says the change is free and immediate.

- [How to change the payment mode at WiZink](https://orwanna.com/en/guides/pay-off-wizink/). If you have an older card on a minimum or percentage payment, you can move to a fixed amount, but not back.
- [How to change the payment mode or instalment at Cetelem](https://orwanna.com/en/guides/pay-off-cetelem/).

## What if I pay the full amount each month?

Then you pay no interest on purchases. WiZink says its full payment mode charges no interest, and Cetelem that its end-of-month mode is collected with no interest.

If you can pay everything you spend each month plus something toward the debt you already have, the debt stops growing with new purchases and falls faster.

## Sources

1. [Formas de pago y sus intereses](https://clientebancario.bde.es/pcb/es/menu-horizontal/productosservici/serviciospago/tarjetas/guia-textual/tipo-aplazamient/), Banco de España, Portal del Cliente Bancario
2. [Qué información puedes solicitar si dispones de una tarjeta revolving](https://clientebancario.bde.es/pcb/es/blog/que-informacion-puedes-solicitar-si-dispones-de-una-tarjeta-revolving-.html), Banco de España, Portal del Cliente Bancario, 2 June 2022
3. [Nuevas obligaciones de información en relación con el crédito revolving](https://clientebancario.bde.es/pcb/es/blog/nuevas-obligaciones-de-informacion-en-relacion-con-el-credito-revolving.html), Banco de España, Portal del Cliente Bancario, 21 April 2022
4. [Orden EHA/2899/2011, on transparency for banking customers (consolidated text)](https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2011-17015), BOE, articles 18.2.e and 33 bis to 33 octies
5. [Orden ETD/699/2020, regulating revolving credit](https://www.boe.es/eli/es/o/2020/07/24/etd699), BOE, 27 July 2020
6. [Formas de pago de la tarjeta WiZink](https://www.wizink.es/public/gestiona-tu-tarjeta/formas-pago-tarjeta-wizink), WiZink
7. [Reglamento de la tarjeta WiZink Click (card terms)](https://www.wizink.es/public/content/dam/wizink-web-es/documents/legal/contractual/reglamentos/WZCLK_R.pdf), WiZink, in force from 26 January 2026
8. [Tarjeta de crédito](https://www.cetelem.es/tarjetas), Cetelem
9. [Información de transparencia del crédito revolving](https://www.cetelem.es/documents/34437/548919014/transparencia_revolving.pdf), Cetelem
10. [IX Barómetro de tarjetas revolving](https://www.asufin.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/251212_IX_BAROMETRO_REVOLVING_DICIEMBRE_2025.pdf), Asufin, December 2025

## Read next

- [2026 report: what paying little costs](https://orwanna.com/en/reports/minimum-payment-cost-2026/): In our calculation with the rates of ten revolving cards, a €2,000 debt paid at 3% of what you owe each month, with a €25 minimum, takes between 82 and 121 months and costs between €694 and €2,120 in interest. With a fixed €60 payment, almost the same in the first month, it takes between 41 and 52 months.
- [Round-ups to pay off debt](https://orwanna.com/en/guides/round-ups-for-debt/): Rounding up your purchases and sending the difference to the card is a small, steady extra payment. With €2,000 at 18% TIN and a €60 payment, adding about €45 of round-ups a month cuts the time from 47 to 23 months and the interest from €793 to €373.
- [Get out of revolving debt](https://orwanna.com/en/guides/get-out-of-revolving-debt/): Stop using the card's credit, raise your payment or switch to paying in full, and make extra payments when you can: every extra euro goes straight to the debt. With €2,000 at 18% TIN, raising the payment from €60 to €100 cuts the time from 47 to 24 months and the interest from €793 to €396.

**General information, not financial or legal advice.** For help or to complain: [Banco de España's Portal del Cliente Bancario](https://clientebancario.bde.es/pcb/es/), [Asufin](https://www.asufin.com/), [OCU](https://www.ocu.org/), [FACUA](https://facua.org/), [ADICAE](https://www.adicae.es/).

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