Getting out of debt is one of those things everyone talks about but few enjoy doing. The usual advice… budget, pay more than the minimum, snowball or avalanche your balances… is solid, but it’s also predictable and easy to put off. That’s where automation comes in. With the right apps and a few smart setups, you can make paying down debt almost painless, and even a little satisfying.
Why automation makes debt payoff easier
The reason automation works is mostly because it takes you, and your feelings, out of the equation. You don’t have to battle temptation to spend some of your extra money or rely on willpower that will usually fail. Automation can handle small, but powerful, actions for you like rounding purchases up and saving the additional change so you can schedule additional payments.
These small actions don’t feel like much at all, but as they add up over time, they can cut months of payments off of your balances, potentially saving thousands in interest charges. The other great thing to keep in mind is that action usually results in more action, so as you see balances drop, even a little bit, it provides motivation to continue.
Round-up apps that turn spare change into progress
One of the easiest ways to get started is by using an app that will round up payments on your debit card and direct the extra funds to pay off your debt. Most of these kinds of apps will link directly with your checking account and round each purchase up to the next dollar.
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For example, if you spend, say $15.25 on coffee on your debit card, the app will round the purchase up to $16 and apply the extra 75 cents to one of your accounts where you’re carrying a balance. Of course that one-time purchase isn’t going to make any sort of real difference to your balances, but if you do that same, small action on every purchase for a week, month, or year, you could be talking about hundreds of dollars going toward reducing debt without any conscious effort at all.
Scheduling extra payments automatically
Another easily automated tactic is scheduling extra payments. Not many people have the self-discipline to make extra payments on their own, but if you schedule an extra transfer each week, or month, that goes directly to the balance on your highest interest debt, it can make a huge difference.
Even if you only schedule something like an extra $50 per week or $100 per payday, it can have a huge impact. And, by automating it, you don’t see the money in your checking account so you’re much less likely to be tempted to spend it.
Using visual tools to stay motivated
Visualization apps that let you see your debt as a tangible image are also worth using because they can let you see the physical progress you’re making. At a glance, they can provide you with how much you have left to pay off, how long it will take to pay the balances off, and how much that schedule can be reduced by making additional payments along the way.
Some apps will even notify you about forgotten subscriptions and spending leaks that could be quietly killing your efforts to get out of debt. Automation isn’t simply about just paying the balances off, it’s about taking control of your spending, learning where you’re wasting money, and making changes that get you moving in the right direction.
Apps that make automation work for you
Changed – Designed specifically for debt repayment. It lets you connect multiple loans, choose your payoff strategy, and schedule automated payments. Changed also projects payoff timelines and how much interest you could save. You can actually see how small changes, like increasing a payment by $25, can affect your payoff date, which often ends up being highly motivating.
Debt Payoff Planner – Focused on visualizing progress. Compare payoff scenarios, see timelines, and track extra payments. It’s ideal for people who like charts, graphs, and clear visual milestones.
Qapital – Originally a savings app, it lets you set rules like rounding up purchases or saving a percentage of each transaction, which can then be directed toward debt. You can even build creative “fun” rules, like transferring $2 every time you order takeout, making repayment feel like more of a game and less like a chore.
YNAB (You Need A Budget) – More hands-on budgeting, but excellent for ensuring every dollar has a purpose and prioritizing debt repayment. It’s especially useful if you want to combine automation with conscious budgeting to avoid overspending.
Undebt.it – Great for those who want detailed control. Track all loans, plug in extra contributions (“snowflakes”), and map out payoff timelines. It’s particularly helpful for people with multiple debts and varying interest rates, allowing you to strategize efficiently.
How automation reshapes your money mindset
A big benefit that not everyone considers when it comes to using automation is how it can transform your relationship with money. Debt feels like an awful burden if you don’t have any way to measure progress. Even if you’re doing something as simple as a $50 transfer each week, you can see the progress and it can rewire your brain to see these extra payments as a normal part of your life rather than making “debt reduction” feel like such a chore.
As you continue these small changes, they become habits that strengthen your financial discipline and can make other good habits easier to adopt and stick with.
Review and adjust your automations as life changes
Unfortunately, automation isn’t just a set-it-and-forget solution. Things happen… raises, unexpected expenses, bonuses, car trouble… it’s all part of being an adult. Because things do change in life, it’s important to review your automations from time to time to be sure they still fit your goals and lifestyle.
Put a reminder on your calendar to check in every few months to be sure everything is still functioning and that the payments are being applied to the most logical balances.
Putting automation to work for you
As much as we’d like for it to, automation won’t make debt just disappear overnight. But what it does do is make things easier so paying off debt doesn’t seem like a constant battle. It can seem more like a job that is just running in the background.
Obviously you still need a solid strategy and some discipline, but with automation handling the heavy lifting, you can focus on living your life and building your dreams more than constantly worrying about your bills and balances.
Start small… choose one thing to automate and choose one app to do it for you. Let it run for a month or two and check back to see your progress. Typically, we find that leads to motivation to continue and set up other automations. It’s like watching a snowball gain momentum as it rolls down the hill and before you know it, what used to feel totally overwhelming starts to feel manageable. Then… the vision of actually becoming debt free becomes more clear and achievable.
Paying off debt is painful. There’s no two ways about it. But, with the right apps and automation strategies, mixed with some good old fashioned planning, you can remove a lot of the mental hurdles that cause frustration and anxiety. I think you’ll find the freedom you unlock isn’t just financial, it’s also mental and emotional. Feeling the weight being lifted can allow you to focus your energy on the important things in life so you can live the life you’ve always wanted.
