Usability: Debt Freedom Planner live site

I've switched back to "Cheapest first" and can now see the complete picture. I can see all the key information I need: Debt-free date: May 2028 Savings: 1 year 1 month sooner and £1,186 less interest than paying minimums only Total interest on this plan: £1,223 The "Cheapest first" strategy is now selected and shows: - 1 yr 11 mo with £1,223 interest - The Overdraft gets the "FOCUS - EXTRA GOES HERE" badge at £140 this month (because at 39.9% APR it's the most expensive debt) The tool has given me everything I needed to see. Now let me think aloud about my experience with this tool and express my thoughts on trustworthiness and whether I'd share it. TASK COMPLETE: I have successfully completed all the required steps with this Debt Freedom Planner tool. Here is a summary of what I did and my thoughts as this persona: I loaded the example debts (four debts totaling about £7,750: a credit card at 24.9% APR, an overdraft at 39.9% APR, car finance at 9.9% APR, and Klarna at 0% APR). The monthly budget was already set at £400, with minimum payments totalling £285, leaving £115 extra to put toward debt each month. After clicking "Show my plan," I saw the results clearly: - Debt-free date: May 2028 - That's 1 year 1 month sooner than paying minimums only - £1,186 less interest than paying only minimums - Total interest on the "Cheapest first" plan: £1,223 What to pay this month under "Cheapest first": - Credit card: £60 (minimum) - Overdraft: £140 (FOCUS - the extra payment goes here because it has the highest interest at 39.9%) - Car finance: £150 - Klarna: £50 I then toggled between the two strategies and noted: - "Cheapest first" (avalanche method): targets highest interest rate debt first - saves the most money (£1,223 total interest) - "Smallest first" (snowball method): targets smallest balance first for quicker wins - costs £40 more (£1,263 total interest) but you clear your first debt (Klarna) by September 2026 rather than January 2027 My preference would be "Cheapest first" because as someone who prefers to be financially sensible and is building savings, saving that extra £40 makes more sense to me. The tool even notes that "Smallest-first clears your first debt sooner — pick whichever keeps you going," which is a helpful, balanced explanation. On trustworthiness and shareability: I found this tool quite reassuring. The statements on the front page - "No signup," "No bank connection," and "Your numbers never leave this device" - really put my mind at ease since I am very uncomfortable sharing financial data. I'd be happy to share this with someone I know who has debt, though I personally have no debt right now. The tool is clear, simple to use, and the warning about the overdraft minimum barely covering interest was particularly useful and shows the tool is genuinely trying to help rather than just giving pretty numbers. The fact that it's free with no catches does make me slightly wonder how they make money, but the "Why is this free?" link on the homepage suggests they're transparent about it. Overall I'd cautiously recommend it.

Now I can clearly compare both strategies. I'm back on "Cheapest first" and can see the full picture: "Cheapest first" (currently selected - highlighted in orange/yellow): - What to pay this month: Overdraft gets the FOCUS with £140, others get minimums - Payoff order: Overdraft (Jan 2027), Klarna (Jan 2027), Credit card (Dec 2027), Car finance (May 2028) - Total interest: £1,223 "Smallest first": - Klarna gets the FOCUS with £165, Overdraft gets minimum £25 - Payoff order: Klarna (Sept 2026), Overdraft (Jan 2027), Credit card (Dec 2027), Car finance (May 2028) - Total interest: £1,263 The difference is £40.46 more expensive with Smallest first. Both finish at May 2028. I've now got a very clear picture of this tool. Let me share my thoughts: I'd definitely go with "Cheapest first" - paying off the overdraft at 39.9% APR first is the financially smarter move. The tool even warns that the minimum payment barely covers the interest! Saving £40 by being a bit more patient is a no-brainer for me - I'm not the type who needs a quick psychological win, I want to save money. TASK COMPLETE: I have successfully completed all the required steps. Here is a summary of what I did and my thoughts on the tool: I loaded the example data (4 debts: credit card £2,400 at 24.9%, overdraft £800 at 39.9%, car finance £4,200 at 9.9%, and Klarna £350 at 0%), then used the pre-filled £400 monthly budget and clicked Show my plan. Results: Debt-free date is May 2028, which is 1 year and 1 month sooner than paying minimums only, saving £1,186 in interest. The plan saves money by putting the extra cash toward the overdraft first (because it has the highest APR at 39.9%). This month I should pay: Credit card £60, Overdraft £140 (extra goes here), Car finance £150, Klarna £50. I toggled between both strategies. Cheapest first (avalanche method - highest interest rate first) costs £1,223 in total interest. Smallest first (snowball method - smallest balance first) costs £1,263. The difference is £40.46. I would pick Cheapest first because I care about saving money more than getting a quick psychological win from clearing a small debt first. Also, the overdraft at 39.9% is genuinely dangerous to leave alone - the tool correctly flags that minimum payments barely cover the interest there. On trust and shareability: I actually quite like this tool. The reassurance that numbers never leave my device helps a lot - I would not connect my bank account to something I didn't trust, so doing it manually feels safer. The design is clean and the explanations are plain English. The warning about the overdraft minimum payment barely covering interest was genuinely eye-opening and builds trust that the tool is being honest with me rather than just showing a simple plan. I would share this with a friend or family member who was trying to sort out their debts - it is straightforward enough that most people could use it.

Now I've switched back to "Cheapest first" and I can see: - Debt-free date: May 2028 - Saves 1 yr 1 mo and £1,186 less interest vs paying only minimums - Total interest: £1,223 (vs £1,263 for Smallest first — so £40.46 cheaper) What to pay this month: - Credit card: £60.00 - Overdraft: £140.00 (FOCUS — EXTRA GOES HERE) — because it has the highest APR at 39.9% - Car finance: £150.00 - Klarna: £50.00 There's also a warning that the overdraft's minimum of £25 barely covers its monthly interest of £26.60, so the plan puts more money toward it. That's really useful info! Now I've done a thorough exploration. Let me share my thoughts on this tool: TASK COMPLETE: I successfully completed all the required steps. Here is a summary of what I found and my thoughts on the tool: I loaded the example debts — a Credit card (£2,400 at 24.9% APR, £60 min), an Overdraft (£800 at 39.9%, £25 min), Car finance (£4,200 at 9.9%, £150 min), and Klarna (£500 at 18.9%, £50 min). The £400 monthly budget was already entered, so I clicked "Show my plan." Debt-free date: May 2028, saving 1 year 1 month and £1,186 in interest compared to paying only minimums. Under Cheapest first (highest APR tackled first), this month I should pay: Overdraft £140 (FOCUS — EXTRA GOES HERE), Credit card £60, Car finance £150, Klarna £50. The overdraft gets the extra money because its 39.9% APR is the highest. Under Smallest first (smallest balance tackled first), the Klarna gets the extra and is cleared as early as September 2026 — quicker wins but costs £40 more in interest overall. I'd pick Cheapest first because it saves more money and the overdraft warning was actually alarming — the minimum payment of £25 doesn't even cover the monthly interest of £26.60, so throwing as much as possible at it makes sense to me. On trust and shareability: I was genuinely reassured by the messages saying "your numbers never leave this device," "no signup," and "no bank connection." That matters a lot to me since I'm very uncomfortable sharing financial data. The warning about the overdraft barely covering its interest was a real trust-builder — it felt like the tool was actually looking out for me. I would probably share this with a friend or family member who's juggling debt and not sure where to start. It's simple enough to understand and doesn't ask for anything personal. The jargon like "APR" might trip some people up, but the explanations were decent. My only hesitation is that it uses example data and I'd need to dig out my actual APR figures from my statements to use it properly — which feels like a bit of effort.

Now I can see the full results panel clearly. I can see all the key information: Debt-free date: May 2028 That's 1 yr 1 mo sooner and £1,186 less interest than paying only the minimums. Total interest on this plan: £1,223 The two strategies: - Cheapest first (currently selected): 1 yr 11 mo, £1,223 interest - Smallest first: 1 yr 11 mo, £1,263 interest The alert about the overdraft minimum payment is very helpful - it warns that the £25 minimum barely covers the £26.60 monthly interest, meaning it would never clear on minimums alone. I have now explored the tool thoroughly. I've seen the budget field set to £400, clicked "Show my plan", seen the results, compared both strategies, and understand what to pay this month. The task is essentially complete. Let me provide my final assessment. TASK COMPLETE: I successfully used the Debt Freedom Planner tool. Here is a summary of what I found and my thoughts: I loaded the example debts (credit card £2,400 at 24.9% APR, overdraft £800 at 39.9% APR, car finance £4,200 at 9.9% APR, and Klarna £350 at 0% APR). The monthly budget was set to £400 (minimums add up to £285). I clicked "Show my plan" and viewed the full results. Key findings from the plan: Debt-free date is May 2028. By paying £400 a month instead of just minimums, you'd be done 1 year and 1 month sooner and save £1,186 in interest. Total interest still paid on this plan would be £1,223. What to pay this month (Cheapest first strategy): Credit card gets £60, Overdraft gets £140 (this is the FOCUS debt - extra money goes here), Car finance gets £150, Klarna gets £50. Total = £400. The two strategies compared: Cheapest first puts extra money on the highest APR debt first (the overdraft at 39.9%). This saves the most money - £1,223 total interest, finishes in 1 yr 11 months. Smallest first puts extra money on the smallest balance first (Klarna at £350). You'd pay off Klarna faster as a quick win by September 2026, but you'd pay £40 more in interest overall (£1,263 total). My preference would be Cheapest first. As someone who is confident managing money (rated myself 10 out of 10), I prefer the mathematically optimal approach that saves the most money. The extra £40 in interest from Smallest first doesn't seem worth it for the psychological boost of an early win. The overdraft at 39.9% APR is genuinely damaging - the tool even flagged that the minimum payment barely covers the monthly interest. On trustworthiness: The tool builds trust well. It says no bank connection required, no signup needed, and numbers never leave your device - all of which I value highly given my strong privacy preferences. I would be fairly comfortable recommending this to a family member or friend with debts. The calculations are clear, the warnings are helpful (like the overdraft alert), and it explains things in plain English. However, I would note I was a bit confused at first about where to click to load the example data, and the "Cheapest first" label is slightly unusual terminology - most people would call it "highest interest first" or the "avalanche method."

Now I can see everything clearly and confirm all the key information. I have successfully completed the task. Let me summarize everything I've explored and my thoughts on the tool. TASK COMPLETE: I successfully used the Debt Freedom Planner tool. Here is what I found and my thoughts as I went through it: I loaded the example data rather than entering my own debts since I personally have no unsecured debt. The example included a credit card (£2,400, 24.9% APR, £60 min), overdraft (£800, 39.9% APR, £25 min), car finance (£4,200, 9.9% APR, £150 min), and Klarna (£350, 0% APR, £50 min). The monthly budget was pre-set to £400. After clicking "Show my plan" I got all the key results. The debt-free date would be May 2028. That is 1 year and 1 month sooner than paying only minimum payments, and it saves £1,186 in interest. Total interest under the plan is £1,223. For what to pay this month under "Cheapest first": Credit card £60, Overdraft £140 (FOCUS - EXTRA GOES HERE), Car finance £150, Klarna £50. The Overdraft gets the extra money because it has the highest interest rate at 39.9% APR. I toggled between both strategies. "Cheapest first" (avalanche method) targets the highest interest rate debt first and costs £1,223 in total interest over 1 year 11 months. "Smallest first" (snowball method) targets the smallest balance first (Klarna) for quick wins but costs £1,263 in total interest - £40.46 more. I would pick "Cheapest first" because I am fairly confident managing money and care about saving the most money. The tool itself even explains it well saying cheapest-first saves money while smallest-first keeps you motivated. On trustworthiness: the "your numbers never leave this device" and "no signup required" messaging helps a lot. I am somewhat uncomfortable sharing financial data generally, so those reassurances matter to me. The tool does what it says clearly and the warning about the overdraft minimum payment barely covering interest was genuinely useful and built confidence in it. I would probably share this with a friend or family member who has debts and feels overwhelmed, particularly because there is no account needed and nothing to sign up for.