I think the special repayment is a placebo.
At the beginning, you still say to yourself:
Christmas bonus, allowances, etc. all go into the special repayment.
At the beginning, you also still say:
We only take standard, no extras...
But then you want to go on vacation, get the bigger car, the great 7.2 system. The low rate allows it and far too many then do 20, 30 years Lalelu...
Until after 30 years, just before retirement, you wake up... oh... 30% outstanding debt still?
But I wanted to retire early... hmm...