Yes. Continuing to use credit cards while trying to pay them off is the single most common reason payoff plans fail. The math punishes you twice: the new charges add to the balance you are trying to shrink, and the new charges typically post at the highest APR (purchases), undoing the progress your extra payments make. Move daily spending to debit or cash for the duration of the plan.
Why it sabotages the plan. Imagine a $5,000 balance at 22% APR with $300 a month in payments. If you charge $200 a month while paying $300, your net balance reduction is $100 per month, not $300. At that pace, the payoff timeline doubles or triples. The math does not care about your intent; only about the net flow.
The behavioral problem. People who keep using their credit card during a payoff plan typically tell themselves they will pay each new charge in full each month. In practice, the new charges blend into the balance and become indistinguishable from the old debt. Card issuers apply payments to lower-APR balances first by federal regulation, but new purchases at the standard APR mean your effective rate creeps back up.
The exception: cards on autopay for fixed bills. If you have a streaming subscription or utility on a card and that card has $0 balance, it is fine to keep that single charge running and pay the statement balance in full each month. Keeping minor activity on the account also prevents the issuer from closing it for inactivity. The key is a strict separation between "cards in payoff" (frozen) and "cards in good standing" (used minimally and paid in full).
Practical removal. Delete the card from Apple Pay, Google Pay, and any saved-payment fields in browsers and apps. Replace your default payment method on Amazon, Uber, and recurring subscriptions with a debit card or bank account. Some people physically cut up the card or store it in a sealed envelope. The friction matters; if it takes 30 seconds to use the card, you will use it less.
Debit card alternative. A debit card from your checking account works for almost every situation a credit card does, with the exception of car rentals, hotel deposits, and some international travel where credit is preferred. For those occasions, keep one card available but set a payment reminder to pay the charge off the same week.
Why this matters more than the APR. A common pattern in failed payoff plans: the consumer makes large extra payments for 6 months, balance drops 30%, then a holiday or car repair pushes a few hundred dollars onto the card. Six months later, the balance is back where it started. Every successful payoff story includes the discipline of not adding to the balance.