The lowest payment isn't always the lowest cost. Match payment is the toggle that makes that point for you: it holds every scenario to the same monthly payment, so a better rate shows up where it matters, in less interest paid and a lower balance at renewal, instead of just a smaller payment.
Why This Matters
In the default (free) mode, each card works out its own payment from its balance, rate, and amortization. If your rate is lower, the payment line drops, and the client sees a smaller payment. That's a fine story, but it undersells you: the bigger win is hidden in where each payment dollar goes.
When you match the payment, every card pays the same amount each month. Now a lower rate means more of that identical payment goes to principal, so the client pays less interest over the term and owes less at renewal. Same payment, lower cost.
Turning It On
Flip the Match payment toggle in the top right. A Match at field appears next to it:
- Leave it blank to match the baseline card's payment (the placeholder shows that amount).
- Or type a target payment, and every card matches that number instead.
Every card's payment line now reads the matched amount, and the interest and balance deltas update to reflect the same-payment comparison.
Amortization Becomes A Result
A mortgage is defined by four things: balance, rate, payment, and amortization. Fix any three and the fourth is determined. When you match the payment, you've now fixed the payment, so amortization is no longer something you choose. It becomes a result.
That's why, in matched mode, the amortization input is locked and relabelled Amortization (effective): it shows how long the loan takes to pay off at the matched payment and that rate. A better rate at the same payment retires the debt faster, and the effective amortization shrinking is the proof.
Overriding One Card's Payment
Match payment moves every column at once. Sometimes you want the opposite: hold one card's terms exactly and just show the client what paying a bit more each month would do. That's the payment override.
Each card has a Monthly payment field, just under Term. By default it's blank and shows the auto-calculated payment as a greyed placeholder. Type a number in to pin that card to a fixed payment, and the card's interest over term, balance at renewal, and effective amortization recompute against it, the same way matched mode works, but for that card alone. The payment line at the bottom of the card reads (overridden) so it's clear the number is pinned, not derived.
Because the payment is now fixed, amortization becomes a result on that card too: its Amortization input switches to Amortization (effective) and shows how long the debt takes to clear at the payment you set.
This is how you answer "what if I pay an extra $100 a month?" without the board re-matching both columns: leave the other cards alone, bump one card's payment, and the client sees the extra principal chew down the balance faster.
To go back to the auto value, clear the field. A per-card override wins over the board-wide Match payment toggle, so an overridden card keeps its pinned payment even while match mode moves the others.
Reading The Result
With the payment held constant, focus the client on:
- Interest over term: the total interest each option pays over the comparison term. The green chip on your card shows how much less than the baseline.
- Balance at renewal: what's still owing at the end of the term. Lower is better, and a better rate at the same payment leaves a smaller balance.
This is the core of the pitch: identical monthly outlay, but your strategy costs the client less over the term.