You have to take into consideration how much is your 401k earning on average vs how much interest are you paying on your credit cards? obviosly if you are only seeing a return on 3 or 4% on your 401k and your credit cards are costing you 9% or higher, you should pay off the credit cards. It is wise to take full advantage of the match your employer offers, cause that is free money and a 100% return, but not always the best move if you are getting hammered with interest on your credit cards, which most do.