If you routinely make payments larger than the minimum for a loan with a fixed term, you’ll probably end up with a billing statement that says there’s no payment due. It’s confusing because you know you still owe money, so why doesn’t the lender want you to pay that money? This is actually a courtesy—the lender is showing you that you’re caught up, so you’ve essentially bought yourself time.
If you take that “grace period” you created for yourself, you’ll lose all the momentum you created by scheduling substantial payments. Even if a loan with a balance says there’s no payment due, continue to make your planned monthly payments to keep chipping away at that debt. Just because your debt has a fixed term of a set number of months or years doesn’t mean you can’t pay it off early and enjoy your freedom from debt.