Most people find this strategy through their mortgage, and fair enough, that's where the interest lives. But the machine doesn't care what kind of debt it's pointed at. Chunking a car loan or a student loan works mechanically the same way. Move a slice of the balance onto the line, let your parked income grind the line down, repeat until the target is gone.
Start with rates, and be ruthless about it. Moving a 3% car loan onto an 8% line is paying extra for the feeling of being strategic. The move only makes sense when the debt's rate is near or above your line's rate, or when the loan is small enough that clearing it frees up a payment your cash flow needs. The homework in Run the Numbers Before Your First Chunk applies to every debt, no exceptions.
Federal student loans are a special case. They carry protections no line of credit will ever offer you, income-driven repayment, deferment options, and for some borrowers, forgiveness paths. Move that balance onto a HELOC and every one of those protections is gone for good. Sometimes the trade still makes sense. Often it doesn't. Know exactly what you're surrendering before the balance moves, because this door locks behind you.
Where smaller debts shine is sequencing. A $6,000 car balance can be chunked and cleared in months, and the freed-up payment joins your monthly surplus, which makes the next chunk bigger. Small wins feed the engine. It's the same psychology that makes the debt snowball work, running on better plumbing.
If the mortgage is your only debt, none of this changes your plan. But most households carry a mix, and a mix is an opportunity. Line the debts up, aim at them in order, and let the machine chew through the list. What to do with the cash flow as each one clears is a bigger question, and Oregon Cash Flow Pro covers that wider picture.