Paying only the minimum credit card payment lets interest pile up fast, quietly costing you thousands over time and keeping you stuck in debt longer.

Image source: Getty Images Making the minimum payment on your credit card bill keeps your account in good standing. You avoid late fees. Your payment history stays clean. From the outside, everything ...

Every credit card bill includes a minimum payment warning — required by law — that shows how long it will take and how much it will cost to pay off your balance if you only make the minimum payment.

The answer is a lot longer, and a lot more expensive, than most people expect.

I use Chase and have noticed lots of cards are offering to split big purchases into monthly payments that are less than your regular interest rate, in exchange for a fixed fee. If I pay more than that ...