What is APR? Everything you Need to Know

When you look around for loans, credit cards, car finance and other kinds of credit, you’ll notice that providers will talk about APR.

Whether it’s personal APR, representative APR, or even APRC, these terms can be confusing at first glance. However, they are nothing to worry about and are there to help you when you want to take out credit.

In general, the APR shows you how much it will cost in total to borrow money over one year.

In this article, we explain APR, representative APR and APRC, looking at how you can use them more effectively to compare loans and other types of credit.

What is APR?

APR stands for annual percentage rate and is used to illustrate how much you will pay to borrow over one year. The figure includes the cost of the interest charged plus any standard fees, such as an arrangement fee or an annual credit card fee.

What does APR include?

The lower the APR, the cheaper it should be for you to borrow.

All credit providers need to provide you with an APR to allow you to compare different products on a like-for-like basis. Because lenders can apply interest in different ways and charge different amounts in fees, it can be difficult to see which option offers you the best deal if you consider these factors individually, without checking the APR.

You can find out the personal APR you qualify for when you apply for credit. However, you won’t have to work out the APR yourself, as the lender will do this for you, using the official formula from the Financial Conduct Authority.

Lenders must tell you your personal APR before you sign on the dotted line to take out a personal loan or other form of credit.

How does APR work?

Looking at the interest rate alone won’t necessarily tell you which product is the cheapest. For example, a loan with a low interest rate could appear to be the best option, but you may need to pay a high arrangement fee, which could make it more expensive than other loans.

The APR takes all these factors into account, giving you one figure that shows you how much you can expect to pay when you borrow from that provider.

For example, the interest rate on two loans could be 5%. This could indicate that they will both cost the same.

However, Loan A may charge an arrangement fee, which means it is more expensive than Loan B which doesn’t charge a fee.

While the interest rate doesn’t reflect the added cost of any fees, the APR does. This means the APR on Loan A will be higher than on Loan B, showing you which loan is cheaper overall.

The APR is a standardised way of showing the cost of borrowing which allows you to compare products more easily.

What affects the APR?

Many factors can affect the personal APR you are given by a lender, including the amount you want to borrow, how long you want to borrow for, as well as your credit score.

If you have a good credit score, lenders are more likely to offer you loans with a lower APR as you are considered a lower risk.

The APR is based on several assumptions. For example, with credit cards it assumes you pay off the balance in equal regular instalments throughout the year.

Bear in mind that additional fees you may incur, such as late repayment charges, cash withdrawals or going over your credit limit, aren’t included in the APR calculations.

What is a good APR?

The lower the APR, the better, as this means it won’t cost as much for you to borrow.

However, there is no standard figure that is a ‘good’ APR or a ‘bad’ APR. Whether an APR is good or not will depend on your individual circumstances, as a competitive APR for someone with a bad credit history may be considered high by someone with a better credit score who qualifies for lower rates.

APRs and short-term loans

If you want to borrow over a period of less than a year, then looking at the APR could be confusing.

APRs show how much it will cost you to borrow over the course of one year, so if you want to take out a short-term loan over several months, you may not pay as much as the APR suggests.

To help consumers see exactly what the cost of borrowing is over a short period of time, lenders may display the total amount payable. The total amount payable is the actual amount you will repay during the loan term, including interest and fees, so it could be a more useful point of comparison than the APR.

What is representative APR?

Lenders are required to show a representative APR figure when they advertise their products to help consumers compare providers. However, you are not guaranteed to receive this rate if you apply for credit from that lender. The representative APR is the APR that a firm reasonably expects 51% of its applicants to be offered.

It means that at least 51% of successful applicants will be offered this advertised rate, while 49% could, in theory, be offered a higher rate.

Representative APR is calculated in the same way as APR, adding together the interest rate and other standard fees to show how much it will cost to borrow over one year.

You can see the representative APR without needing to apply for that particular loan or credit product.

Representative APRs for credit cards are typically based on the assumption that you spend £1,200 on day one and pay it back in instalments over one year, without spending any more on the card (or paying back any more than the agreed instalment). Of course, you are likely to use your card differently to this, so it’s worth remembering this when you look at any products.

The actual APR you are offered once you apply can vary due to your individual circumstances, such as your credit history, how much you want to borrow and how long you want to borrow the money for. This is the APR you will actually pay, not the advertised representative APR. This is usually referred to as your personal APR.

What is APRC?

APRC, or annual percentage rate of charge, is similar to APR. APRC is specifically used to show the total cost per year of mortgages and secured loans, as the interest rate may change during the loan term. The APRC includes these interest rate changes and any fees in its calculations, to come up with a single figure to help you compare products.

The APRC is calculated assuming that you will keep the secured loan or mortgage for the full term.

So, for example, if a mortgage has an arrangement fee and an introductory offer with a lower rate of interest for the first few years before moving you to a higher standard rate for the rest of the term, the APRC will take this into account.

It can make it easier to compare products, as it can be difficult trying to work out which loan or mortgage offers the best deal solely by looking at introductory rates, the rate you’ll pay for the rest of the term and any additional fees.

However, it’s worth remembering that many people won’t stay on the same agreement for the whole mortgage or secured loan term, as they might remortgage once the fixed-rate introductory deal finishes, for example.

As a result, the APRC, which shows the total cost of the secured loan for the whole term, may not be as significant to you as the initial rate of interest.

Comparing loans

Understanding APR and representative APR is crucial when it comes to comparing loans. The representative APR can give you a general idea of the APR that lenders might charge, but you should always remember that you may receive a higher APR than the one advertised.

You can use the APR to compare how much it will cost you to borrow, without worrying that you’ll get caught out by any hidden fees.

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