The smallest amount you can pay to avoid default. It's usually between 5% and 10% of the balance, plus that month's interest and fees. Paying only the minimum is the most expensive trap in the system: a 30,000-peso debt can take more than 15 years to clear and cost three times the original amount.

The minimum payment is the most expensive trap in the system. It covers almost pure interest and a sliver of principal. On a 20,000-peso balance at 70% CAT, paying only the minimum can take more than seven years and end up costing over double what you spent.

CONDUSEF requires your statement to carry the «if you pay the minimum, it will take X and cost Y» box. Read it. The healthy rule: always pay the full balance; if one month you truly can't, pay as much above the minimum as you can bear, because every extra peso hits principal directly.