Is a 21.99% APR Good or Bad? (2024)

FAQs

Is 21.99% APR good for a credit card? ›

A 21.99% APR is reasonable but not ideal for credit cards. The average APR on a credit card is 23.1%. A 21.99% APR is decent for personal loans. It's far from the lowest rate you can get, though.

The APR you receive is based on your credit score – the higher your score, the lower your APR. A good APR is around 22%, which is the current average for credit cards. People with bad credit may only have options for higher APR credit cards around 30%. Some people with good credit may find cards with APR as low as 16%.

APR means Annual Percentage Rate. It's the cost of borrowing money over a year on a credit card or loan. It takes into account interest, as well as other charges you may have to pay, such as an annual fee.

An annual percentage rate (APR) of 21.99% indicates that if you carry a balance on a credit card for a full year, the balance will increase by approximately 21.99% due to accrued interest. For instance, if you maintain a $1,000 balance throughout the year, the interest accrued would amount to around $220.00.

Even people with good credit scores make mistakes, and a bank may charge a penalty APR on your credit card without placing a negative mark on your credit report. Penalty APRs typically increase credit card interest rates significantly due to a late, returned or missed payment.

The First Call Resolution industry standard for a good FCR rate is 70% to 79%. Therefore, call centers with an FCR rate below 70% need improvement. Conversely, the World-class FCR rate is 80% or higher, and only 5% of call centers can achieve the World-Class FCR Rate from a CX journey perspective.

It depends on the type of card you're looking at, as well as your own credit. 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.

The Titanium Rewards Visa® Signature Card from Andrews Federal Credit Union tops our list thanks to the low interest rates, strong rewards program and no foreign transaction fees — all at no annual fee. This card offers a low variable APR of 13.74%% to 18.00% on purchases; 13.74% to 17.99% on balance transfers.

Remember that APR is only applied if you're carrying an outstanding balance on your card. You can typically avoid paying any interest charges if you pay off your card balance before the statement period ends each month. Selecting the right credit card shouldn't be complicated.

Is APR charged monthly? ›

Yes, APR is charged monthly. Although APR is a yearly percentage rate, it's applied monthly to the outstanding balance to calculate statements. How do you avoid paying APR on a credit card? If you're able to pay your credit card balance in full each month by the due date, you can avoid paying interest.

Your credit card APR can go up if the prime rate changes, you paid your credit card bill late, your intro APR offer ended or your credit score dropped. If your APR increases, you can work on paying down your balance or transfer your balance to a card with a low or 0 percent intro APR offer.

A good credit card APR is a rate that's at or below the national average, which currently sits above 20 percent. While there are credit cards with APRs below 10 percent, they are most often found at credit unions or small local banks.

Generally, an APR below 21% is relatively low. Anything over 24% is more expensive. If you pay off your credit card balance in full every month, the APR won't be as important as you won't be paying interest. But if you forget and the APR is high, the interest charges will quickly rack up.

The minimum payment on a $3,000 credit card balance is at least $30, plus any fees, interest, and past-due amounts, if applicable. If you were late making a payment for the previous billing period, the credit card company may also add a late fee on top of your standard minimum payment.

How to evaluate credit card APRs. As of November 2023, the average APR charged for credit card accounts that incurred interest was 22.75%, according to the Federal Reserve. For all accounts, the average was 21.47%. If your APR is below the average, you can probably consider it good.

For someone with a good or very good credit score, an APR of 20% could be good, while a 12% APR may be good for someone with an excellent score. If your score is lower, an APR of 25% could be considered good.