How do I find out what my APR is?
Sarah Martinez
Updated on February 06, 2026
To calculate APR, you can follow these 5 simple steps:
- Add total interest paid over the duration of the loan to any additional fees.
- Divide by the amount of the loan.
- Divide by the total number of days in the loan term.
- Multiply by 365 to find annual rate.
- Multiply by 100 to convert annual rate into a percentage.
What is the APR of your credit card based on?
A credit card’s interest rate is the price you pay for borrowing money. For credit cards, the interest rates are typically stated as a yearly rate. This is called the annual percentage rate (APR). On most cards, you can avoid paying interest on purchases if you pay your balance in full each month by the due date.
How do you calculate the interest rate on a credit card?
Here’s how to calculate your interest charge (numbers are approximate).
- Divide your APR by the number of days in the year. 0.1599 / 365 = a 0.00044 daily periodic rate.
- Multiply the daily periodic rate by your average daily balance.
- Multiply this number by the number of days (30) in your billing cycle.
How does credit card APR WORK example?
The APR on a credit card is an annualized percentage rate that is applied monthly. If the advertised APR on a credit card is 19%, for example, then an interest rate of 1.58% on the outstanding balance will be added monthly to the total amount owed.
What does 26.99 Variable APR mean?
Variable APR means that the annual percentage rate on your credit card can change over time. Don’t worry, though. Banks can’t just adjust your rates without notice or beyond reason. That’s the interest rate that one large bank charges another when it borrows money overnight to even out its balance sheet.
How is the APR calculated on a credit card?
Most credit card issuers use a daily periodic rate to calculate interest charges on your credit card account for each month that you carry a balance. The formula for the daily periodic rate (DPR) is simple. It’s the APR for your credit card transactions divided by 365.
What’s the best APR to get for a credit card?
And since many credit cards advertise their APRs as a range (e.g. 13% – 23%), it may enable you to get a better rate on a card you’d get approved for anyway.Reducing your credit utilization, paying down debt and correcting credit report errors are all good ways to improve your credit score.
Why are there different APRs for different credit cards?
There are different APRs based on how you use your credit card. When you’re selecting a credit card, it’s a good idea to consider these rates in addition to your credit needs. The rate applied to credit card purchases. The cost of borrowing cash from your credit card tends to be higher.
When do cash advance APRS start accruing?
Cash Advance APR, imposed when you use a credit card like an ATM card; cash advance APRs are typically very high and interest generally starts accruing on any money you use the card to take out immediately. How Do my APRs Affect My Monthly Interest Charges?