Budgeting
Credit cards & payments
Allot treats a credit card like cash you'll pay back. As you spend on the card, money moves into a payment envelope so the cash is waiting when the bill comes. Big purchases can be financed over time.
The payment envelope
Every credit card gets a 💳 Credit Card Payments category. When you buy something on the card from a funded category, Allot moves that money into the card's payment envelope. That envelope shows 💳 ready · $X- the cash you've set aside and can safely pay.
Make a payment
Paying a card is a transfer from cash to the card. Allot has a one-step control for it.
- Open the card from the Plan or Accounts tab and find the Pay down section (on Accounts, the row action is Make a payment).
- Choose the From account (your checking or cash).
- Enter an Amount, or tap Pay full or Pay half.
- Tap Send payment.
Allot records a paired transfer - money leaves your cash account and reduces what you owe on the card, both sides logged. This is the same transfer model described in Spending vs transfers.
Finance a purchase (0% vs interest)
Bought something big to pay off over months? Turn a card charge into a financing plan.
- Open the purchase (it must be a charge on a credit-card or loan account) and tap 💳 Finance this purchase….
- Set the Payoff term (months).
- Enter the APR % - leave it at 0 for a 0% promo, or enter your rate if you'll pay interest.
- Optionally pick Fund 1st month from to fund the first payment now, or leave it on Don't fund now.
- Check the Monthly payment preview, then tap Finance.
A 0% plan shows in a calm blue; an interest-bearing plan shows in orange so you can see at a glance which purchases are costing you. The category then carries a 💳 $X/mo badge showing your monthly payment and progress.
Plan a payoff
When a card gets its first charge, Allot can pop a quick planner: choose how long until ideal payoff (3 or 6 months, 1/2/3 years), set the APR, and it shows a minimum payment each month to clear the balance. The Debt tab goes further with Avalanche vs Snowball strategies, an extra monthly payment, and a payoff trajectory chart.
Troubleshooting
My payment envelope doesn't have enough
That happens when card spending outran your funded categories. Assign more to the categories you charged (or cover the ⚠ Linked overspending), and the payment envelope catches up.
I can't convert a financed purchase to a transfer
Remove the financing plan first (Un-finance under Edit financed goals), then convert it.
Deleting a financed purchase
Allot asks where to move the money and past payments before it removes the plan - pick a destination category so nothing is left dangling.