APR vs. Interest Rate: Is There a Difference? (Dec. 2023)

Borrowing money often involves fees. One such fee is interest, which is calculated as a percentage of the amount you owe. The percentage is the interest rate.

For example, if you borrowed $1,000 for one year with an interest rate of 4%, you’d owe $40 of interest. An interest rate that’s calculated on a yearly basis is known as an annualized percentage rate (APR).

An APR always includes interest. It may also include other fees related to the loan. For example, if you applied for a home mortgage, your APR would include the lender’s fees as well as the interest rate.

With credit cards, the APR typically doesn’t include other fees, such as an annual fee, balance transfer fees, late payment fees, or foreign transaction fees, which may also be charged. When an APR includes interest, but no other fees, the APR and interest rate will be the same — this is true for most card rates.

Most cards have more than one type of APR. Four common card APRs are:

• Purchase APR. This APR is applied to new purchases you make with your card and your card balance if you don’t pay it in full every month and you’re not paying an introductory or penalty APR.
• Introductory APR. This APR is applied to your card balance for a specific period. It may also be applied to new purchases during that time period. The introductory period is usually at least six months and may be up to 18 months or longer. An introductory APR may be as low as 0%. This type of APR is sometimes called a promotional rate or promotional APR.
• Cash Advance APR. This APR applies if you use your card to get cash, such as from an ATM or with cash advance checks. A cash advance is a form of debt. The APR for a cash advance is typically higher than the card’s purchase APR.
• Penalty APR. This APR may be applied if you make a late payment or miss a payment. Like the cash advance APR, this APR is typically higher than the card’s purchase APR.

The differences between APRs can be substantial. For example, if you carried a $5,000 balance for one year, you’d pay no interest with a 0% APR, $389 of interest with a 14.99% APR, and $631 of interest with a 24.99% APR. If your balance was higher or you carried the debt longer, you’d pay even more interest with the same APRs.

Most card APRs are variable, which means they can change over time. An APR may change because market rates changed, or your credit score went up or down. If your card’s APR increases, you’ll have to pay more interest to carry the same balance.

A card’s APRs must be disclosed in the cardholder agreement. APRs may also be shown on your monthly statement.

Although APRs are annualized rates, card issuers don’t actually charge interest annually — they charge interest daily. That’s why you should be aware of your card’s Average Daily Periodic Rate (ADPR) as well as its APR.

If you carry a balance, it’s the ADPR that will be used to calculate how much interest you’ll be charged.

Your ADPR should be printed on your statement. This rate is typically rounded, so 16.987% would be shown as 16.99%, for example.

If your card’s ADPR isn’t equal to one 365th of its APR, it may be because your issuer uses a 360-day year rather than a 365-day year for its calculations. That may sound odd, but some issuers reportedly do it that way.

Some cards charge a lower range of APRs while others charge a higher range. To qualify for the lowest ranges of card APRs, you’ll generally need good or excellent credit.

Your card’s APR may be higher than average if your credit rating is fair or poor. Whether a specific card has a “good” APR depends on the range of APRs for that card and your credit history.

For example, if you have excellent credit, a 30% card APR probably wouldn’t be considered a good APR for you. If you’ve had some issues with credit, that same 30% APR may be the best you’ll be offered.

A low APR may save you a lot of money if you carry a balance on your credit card. Here are four ways you may be able to get lower APR:

1) Apply for a new balance transfer card with a 0% introductory balance transfer offer.

You may have to pay a balance transfer fee to move your balance to the new card, and the introductory 0% APR may not apply to new purchases with that card, but your APR could drop significantly, making it easier for you to pay off your balance.

2) Apply for a new card with a lower APR.

If you didn’t shop for a card with a low APR when you applied for the cards you have or if you’ve improved your credit since then, a new card could be your ticket to a lower APR.

If your credit isn’t good, you may need to raise your credit scores by making your payments on time before you’ll be approved for a card with a low APR.

3) Apply for a new secured card.

Secured cards don’t always have the lowest APRs, but you may find some with lower APRs than the cards you already have. To get a secured card, you’ll have to make a deposit, which serves as security, or collateral, for your card debt.

4) Call your credit card company and ask.

If you’re a good customer, you may be able to get a lower APR just by reaching out and requesting it. If you usually carry a balance and you typically make your payment on time, this one phone call could save you a lot of money and help you pay off your balance sooner.

If you don’t carry a balance, APRs aren’t relevant to you. If you do carry a balance, you should pay attention to APRs when you shop for new cards.

A card with a lower APR or 0% balance transfer offer could be a better card for you than one with more perks or rewards. The choice is yours.