Like many credit card holders, there are times when you might have overdone it on the spending and are now facing the task of paying off your credit card balance. The length of time it will take is largely driven by the interest rate you're paying on the outstanding balance, how much you continue to use the card and what you pay each month in terms of a monthly payment. A good rule of thumb is to try to pay off any card balance in 36 months, but you might want to see what it will take to pay off the balance in shorter or longer increments of time.