Paying off $7,000 in credit card debt with $300 a month in surplus cash is doable in roughly 28 months at the average 22% APR, with about $2,200 in interest paid along the way. The strategy that works is mechanical, not motivational. Pick a method, automate the payments, and remove the credit card from your daily spending so the balance can actually fall.
Run the numbers first. A $7,000 balance at 22% APR with a $300 payment pays off in about 28 months. The same balance at 22% APR with only the minimum payment (typically the greater of $25 or 1% of balance plus interest) takes more than 18 years and costs over $11,000 in interest. The difference between $300 a month and the minimum is the single largest variable in your payoff timeline.
Stop adding to the balance. If you keep using the card, you are running a treadmill. Move to a debit card or cash for daily spending until the balance hits zero. If self-control is the issue, freeze the card in a block of ice in the back of the freezer or store it with a trusted family member. The behavioral change is more important than the payment amount.
Lower the interest rate. Call your card issuer and ask for a hardship program or a temporary APR reduction. Most major issuers (Chase, Capital One, Citi, Discover, Bank of America) have programs that drop your rate to 0%-9% for 6 to 12 months in exchange for closing the card to new charges. A 22% rate dropped to 6% on a $7,000 balance saves about $1,000 in interest over your payoff period.
Consider a debt management plan. A nonprofit credit counseling agency can negotiate a single, lower interest rate (typically 6%-10%) across all your unsecured debts and consolidate them into one monthly payment. The plan length is usually 36 to 60 months, the agency fee is around $25 a month, and your accounts are closed during the plan. For $7,000 with a single creditor this is overkill; for $7,000 spread across three or four cards it can be the cleanest path.
Avoid the obvious traps. Do not take a personal loan at 18%-25% to pay off a 22% card. Do not enter a debt settlement program for a balance this small (the fees and credit damage outweigh the savings). Do not raid your 401(k) or take a HELOC to clear unsecured debt. The math on those moves rarely works at this balance level.
If you can find another $100 a month, by canceling subscriptions, dropping one delivery meal a week, or selling unused items, your $400-a-month payment cuts the payoff to about 20 months and saves another $700 in interest. Small surplus increases compound dramatically at high APRs.