The world of credit cards can be confusing, whether you’re new to it or not.
One question we get pretty frequently is: What is the difference between the interest rate and the annual percentage rate (APR)? Are credit card APRs and interest rates the same thing?
Keep reading to find out.
What’s the difference between interest rate and APR?
With some financial products, the interest rate and the APR are different. With credit cards, though, they’re basically the same.
The U.S. Government’s Truth in Lending Act requires all consumer lenders to state their interest rates as APRs. APR is considered the “real” annual cost of borrowing money, including fees and other charges in addition to the interest rate.
If you take out a mortgage, for example, you’ll pay an origination fee and other charges upfront; these then get factored into the APR on your mortgage. So, a mortgage with an interest rate of, say, 5.5% might actually cost you something like 5.8% a year.
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Credit cards don’t do that, meaning the APR on your card is precisely equal to your interest rate.
Is APR the same as the interest rate?
Yes, the APR is essentially the same as the interest rate for credit cards. However, the APR may be higher than the interest rate for other interest-accruing products like mortgages and car loans. That is because there are often fees and charges incorporated into the APR on these products.
Related: What is a good APR for a credit card?
Bottom line
With credit cards, the APR and interest rate are the same. Annual fees or charges on things like balance transfers, cash advances and late payments don’t get included in the APR. The reason is that credit card companies can’t predict which cardholders will incur which fees.
Of course, you can avoid paying credit card APR altogether by paying your balance on time and in full, one of TPG’s ten commandments of credit card rewards.
If you’re working on paying down your debt, check out TPG’s list of the best zero-interest cards to help reduce your borrowing costs.
