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All ToolsFree Simulation · 2 minutes · no personal data

Consolidating Credits: Is It Worth It?

Combining your credits and cards into one lowers the monthly payment. See how much extra you gain per month and how much more or less you pay in total before deciding.
  • Registered tied credit intermediary with Banco de Portugal
  • Monthly payment and total cost, side by side
  • No costs or commitment
What are you looking for?

Three questions to find out how much your monthly payment decreases

€

We account for €12,000.
€

We account for €420.
years

We account for 7 years.
We assume a new credit at 9% (assumption, not a proposal) and treat your credits as one. In 'In detail', you can separate each credit.

How we calculate

We compare what you still owe today with what you would pay with just one credit.

  1. What remains to pay today

    With what you owe, the monthly payment, and the rate of each credit, we see how many months are left and how much more you will pay in interest.Credit by credit

  2. The new credit

    We sum the debts and the switching costs, and calculate the monthly payment with the rate and term you choose.The rate is an assumption

  3. The comparison

    We show the monthly relief and the difference in total. A lower monthly payment can cost more if the term is longer.Both numbers matter
Consolidating multiple credits into one can increase the total cost of the credit. A lower monthly payment with a longer term almost always means more interest in the end.

Illustrative Cases

Illustration of Lívia and Samuel at the kitchen table with the month's bills
Illustrative example

Lívia and Samuel paid three installments on three different days of the month.

They live in Santarém. They have a credit card, a personal credit, and a car loan: they owe €19,500 and pay €590 every month. With their child's daycare, the month started to fall short. They wanted to know how much they could relieve and at what cost.
  • Credit card: €2,800 at 16%, €110 per month
  • Personal loan: €9,500 at 11.5%, €265 per month
  • Car Loan: €7,200 at 8.9%, €215 per month
  1. 1The question: “If we consolidate everything, how much do we lower? And how much more do we pay for it?”
  2. 2What the simulator showed: with a single credit at 9% (assumption) and 7 years, the installment decreased from €590 to €324. But, in total, they paid more €3,574. With 5 years, the relief was €173 and the additional cost was €1,370.
  3. 3The result: they chose the 5 years. The relief was enough for daycare and they paid less interest. They asked CrediSegur to compare proposals.

Total additional cost €3,574

Monthly relief€266/month

Monthly relief
€266/month
at 7 years, from €590 to €324
Total additional cost
€3,574
in 7 years
With 5 years
€173/month
of relief, and more €1,370 in total
“We prefer to see the full cost before signing. The relief was good, but it wasn't free.” — Lívia
Illustration of Edgar with two credit cards in hand
Illustrative example

Edgar didn't need relief. He wanted to stop paying card interest.

He lives in Fafe. He has two credit cards and a personal credit: he owes €10,100 and pays €400 per month on all three. He could pay the installments. What bothered him was the card rates.
  • Credit card: €3,200 at 17%, €130 per month
  • Credit card: €1,900 at 17.5%, €80 per month
  • Personal loan: €5,000 at 12%, €190 per month
  1. 1The question: “If I continue to pay the same amount each month, but with a lower rate, how much do I save?”
  2. 2What the simulator showed: by paying the same €400 per month in a single credit at 9% (assumed), it would end in 2 years and 5 months, instead of 2 years and 7 months. It would save €705 in interest, already accounting for the costs of switching.
  3. 3The result: he consolidated the three credits, kept the monthly payment, and canceled one of the cards. CrediSegur compared the proposals for him.

Pays off sooner 2 months

Interest savings€705

Interest savings
€705
paying the same €400 per month
Pays off sooner
2 months
earlier
Average rate today
14.6%
across the three credits
“I didn't change what I pay per month. I changed what the bank keeps.” — Edgar
*Illustrative, non-binding example, with fictional characters and values that do not correspond to the offer of any credit institution. This does not constitute a credit offer and does not replace an assessment of each client’s personal and financial situation, nor the approval of the lending credit institution. TAN, TAEG and MTIC values are presented under the terms of Decree-Law no. 133/2009 and Banco de Portugal Notice no. 5/2024; the actual values are set out in the Standard European Consumer Credit Information provided by the lending credit institution. CrediSegur (CRRF – Brokerage, Lda.) — tied credit intermediary registered with Banco de Portugal under no. 0001290. Consolidating multiple credits into one can increase the total cost of credit.

What's true and what's a myth when consolidating credits

Four ideas we hear often, and what to do about each.
  • Myth“Consolidating credits always saves money.”False. The monthly payment decreases, but if the term is extended, you pay more interest in total. You only save if the rate decreases enough or if you maintain what you pay today.What to do: Look at the monthly payment and the total cost. Both numbers are in the result.
  • Truth“Credit cards are the most expensive credit.”True. In the 4th quarter of 2026, Banco de Portugal allows up to 18.5% TAEG on credit cards and up to 15% on personal credit without a specific purpose.What to do: If you can only handle one, start with the card.
  • Depends“Those with overdue credits cannot consolidate credits.”Depends. Having credits registered with Banco de Portugal is normal: all credits are there. What matters to the bank's decision is having overdue payments.What to do: Request your credit responsibility map on the Banco de Portugal website. It's free.
  • Myth“With a lower monthly payment, I can borrow more money.”False. Borrowing more increases the debt and interest. The relief is for making ends meet, not for refilling the cards.What to do: If you consolidate credits, lower the card limits or cancel the ones you don't use.

The next step

You already have this answer. Keep going — each tool prepares the next decision.

Support from a CrediSegur manager

A CrediSegur manager follows your request with the institutions we work with. Our intermediation service has no cost for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Personal credit, car credit, credit cards, and overdrafts. Mortgage credit can also be included, but that is a mortgage credit with different rules and costs. This simulator calculates without the mortgage credit.
For two reasons: the rate may be lower than your current credits, especially the cards, and the term is usually longer. The first is savings. The second is just paying more slowly.
When the new rate is lower and the term doesn't increase too much. In the “I want to pay less in total” tab, you see what happens if you continue to pay the same as you do today.
The Stamp Duty on the new credit (1.76%) and, for fixed-rate credits, the commission the bank may charge for early repayment: 0.5% of what you owe, or 0.25% if less than a year remains. These are already included in the calculation.
No. It is an assumption for the calculation, which you can change. The actual rate depends on the bank, the amount, the term, and your situation. Only a bank proposal will give you the exact rate.
Banco de Portugal recommends a maximum of 7 years for personal credit. That is the limit we use.
Official data verified on 10/20/2026 · Sources: Diário da República, Autoridade Tributária, Banco de Portugal, Segurança Social, Assembleia da República · see sources
Important note: Informative simulation. The interest rates are calculation assumptions and do not constitute a credit proposal. Consolidating multiple credits into one can increase the total cost of credit. Credit granting is subject to the approval of the credit institution. Sources (in Portuguese): Pressupostos CrediSegur; DL n.º 133/2009; Tabela Geral do Imposto do Selo, verbas 17.2 e 17.3; taxas máximas do Banco de Portugal. Maximum rates from Banco de Portugal in the 4th quarter of 2026: 18.5% on credit cards and 15% on personal credit. CRRF – BROKERAGE, LDA (CrediSegur) is a tied credit intermediary registered with Banco de Portugal (no. 0001290) and an insurance agent registered with ASF (no. 421571530); does not charge fees for credit intermediation.