Dear Debt Adviser: I understand that one should pay off the credit card with the highest interest first, but I have a card at 12 percent with $1,500 of debt and a card at 18 percent with $6,000 in debt. Since the two cards have such different amounts, and $1,500 is a relatively small amount, would it look better if I paid off the smaller card first?

- Sharon

Dear Sharon: Most experts would advise you to pay off the highest-interest-rate card first so you can avoid paying a huge amount of money in interest charges. This can occur if you are only making the minimum payment on a high-interest-rate card for an extended period while putting your free cash flow toward paying off another card.

Keep in mind that the ultimate goal of most people in credit-card debt is to get rid of it and not find themselves in the same situation again. Motivation is the key. Some people choose to tackle a small balance first. Seeing a credit-card statement with $0.00 in the finance-charge box can be just the right motivation to keep going and pay off the others. If that means they will pay slightly more in interest charges on other cards, but by paying off one balance they will commit to paying off all their balances, then I'm all for it. So, if you find that you are having trouble committing to paying off your debt and it would help to see the $1,500 balance gone, by all means go ahead and pay it off first and then tackle the $6,000 balance. The important thing is to follow through with both.

As far as your question regarding how it will look, I'm assuming you are asking how it will look on your credit report and, specifically, how it will affect your credit score. The most important thing to remember when paying off credit-card debt as it pertains to your credit report is to avoid closing long-standing accounts once they are paid off. Two negatives can occur if you do. One, the account may be the oldest established account on your report, and if closed will cause your score to decrease because your length of credit history will be shortened. Two, by closing the account, you lose access to an available credit line and that will push up your ratio of debt to available credit. Which one you pay off first shouldn't make a big difference.

Whatever strategy you use to pay down/off your credit-card debt, remember to always pay on time and don't add any charges to the accounts until you get to your goal, if you can avoid it.

The Debt Adviser is a feature from bankrate.com written by Steve Bucci, president of CCCS Credit Advisors. Call 877-311-2227 or visit creditcounseling.org for additional debt advice.