The lower your APR, the better for you. Though we recommend no one ever carry a balance, advance cash or do anything else that would incur the interest fees associated with carrying a balance on a credit card, a lower APR will reduce the impact if you forget to pay a bill or run out of options and must carry a balance.
A good APR for a credit card is 14% and below. That is better than the average credit card APR and on par with the rates charged by credit cards for people with excellent credit, which tend to have the lowest regular APRs. On the other hand, a great APR for a credit card is 0%.
A low credit card APR for someone with excellent credit might be 12%, while a good APR for someone with so-so credit could be in the high teens. If “good” means best available, it will be around 12% for credit card debt and around 3.5% for a 30-year mortgage. But again, these numbers fluctuate, sometimes day by day.
A 24.99% APR is not good for mortgages, student loans, or auto loans, as it's far higher than what most borrowers should expect to pay and what most lenders will even offer. A 24.99% APR is reasonable for personal loans and credit cards, however, particularly for people with below-average credit.
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If you make timely payments in full, there's no need to worry about your APR. But if you don't pay your balance in full, your APR matters. Many credit cards have APRs between 20% and 30%, which means it could cost you much more in the end.
But there is a certain limit beyond which credit cards have notably high rates. Currently, average credit card APR is around 16% Reward credit cards tend to have higher APR, averaging above 16.25% If you have bad credit then it means higher APR, too; average APR is currently over 25%
A credit card APR below 10% is definitely good, but you may have to go to a local bank or credit union to find it. The Federal Reserve tracks credit card interest rates, and an APR below the average would also be considered good.
A 16.99% APR is good for credit cards and personal loans, as it's cheaper than average. On the other hand, a 16.99% APR is not good for mortgages, student loans, or auto loans, as it's far higher than what most borrowers should expect to pay.
Since you have no debt, good credit, and steady income, you're already a solid applicant. You should have your choice of lenders willing to work with you. As of November 2021, the average new car loan rate for someone with your profile is 3.48%. To that effect, a 4.99% interest rate is a bit on the high side.
Generally, a good interest rate for a personal loan is one that's lower than the national average, which is 9.41%, according to the most recently available Experian data.
That being said, if you have good credit and payment history, a good income, and a cosigner with a credit score of 750 or higher, you should not sign on that loan. However, if you do not have a cosigner, then an 11% to 12% interest rate is about right. But like with everything, you should not jump at the first offer.
If your credit score is in the 600 to 660 range, a car loan with an interest rate of 8% is good! However, if your score is higher, then an 8% interest rate is on the expensive side. The average interest rate on a 60-month car loan as of September 2021 is 3.81%. So, an 8% interest rate is high by comparison.
The Covid pandemic pushed mortgage rates to record lows, which meant the most qualified borrowers were able to get rates below than 4.5 percent throughout 2021 and the start of 2022. However, rates are rising, and rates at or below 4.5 percent are now considered very good.
As of January 2020, U.S. News reports the following statistics for average auto loan rates: Excellent (750 - 850): 4.93 percent for new, 5.18 percent for used, 4.36 percent for refinancing. Good (700 - 749): 5.06 percent for new, 5.31 percent for used, 5.06 percent for refinancing.
A high APR (“annual percentage rate”) car loan is one that charges higher-than-average interest rates. The legal limit for car loans is around 16% APR, but you will find lenders that get away with charging rates of 25% or more.
If you're buying a new car at an interest rate of 2.9% APR, you may be getting a bad deal. However, whether or not this is the best rate possible will depend on factors like market conditions, your credit background, and what type of manufacturer car incentives there are at a given point in time on the car you want.
On a 36-month loan, 5.9% APR with above-average credit is a bad rate. If you see a rate this high with captive financing, it could be because it's for a longer-term loan.
In finance, generally the more risk you take, the better potential payoff you expect. For banks and other card issuers, credit cards are decidedly risky because lots of people pay late or don't pay at all. So issuers charge high interest rates to compensate for that risk.
A 20% APR is not good for auto loans. APRs on auto loans tend to range from around 4% to 10%, depending on whether you buy new or used.
The differences aren't quite as steep for new-car loans: Borrowers with scores in the low 700s can expect an average rate of 3.56% compared to 10.87% for borrowers with credit in the mid-500s.
It's super important that you're aware of the APR you're paying on any debt you take on because it's the price you pay to borrow the money. Generally, you'll want to stay away from debt with high APRs because the cost could end up overwhelming your budget.