When you make your credit card payment late, you're often subject to late fees and a penalty APR, which is a temporary spike in your interest rate.
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, for instance, has a 18.99% to 29.99% variable APR (after a 12-month introductory 0% APR period on purchases), but the penalty APR is a variable 29.99% (see rates and fees). Penalty APRs usually last for at least six months, but card issuers often reserve the right to extend them — especially when you continue making late payments. A look at the terms for the Citi® Double Cash Card (see rates and fees) show us that the "penalty APR may apply indefinitely."
Penalty APRs are certainly not a trap you want to fall into, but it's not something you usually have to worry about if you have a personal loan. Personal loan lenders can, however, charge late fees upwards of $39 per late payment. Whether your loan charges late fees all depends on how good of a loan you qualify for, and that comes down to your credit score, borrowing history and ability to make your payments.
Personal loans also tend to charge lower interest rates than credit cards, too. The average personal loan interest rate for two-year loans is currently 9.46% according to Q1 2021 data from the Federal Reserve, compared to 15.91% for credit cards.
Typically, interest rates for personal loans range between roughly 2.49% and 24%, but personal loans for applicants with bad credit can come with even higher APR — so do your research before applying.
Other common personal loan fees include:
- Interest: The monthly charge you pay to borrow money
- Origination fee: A one-time upfront charge that your lender subtracts from your loan to pay for administration and processing costs
- Late fee: A one-time fee charged for each payment that you fail to make by the due date or within your grace period
- Early payoff penalty: A fee incurred when you pay off your balance faster than planned (because the lender misses out on months of expected interest payments)
As you can see, personal loans can be costly, even without a penalty APR. It's obviously best to avoid paying extra fees whenever possible. That's easier to do when you have a good to excellent credit score, since you'll qualify for better loan options.
Select has a free tool to help match you with personal loan offers without damaging your credit score.
None of the loans on our best personal loan list charge origination fees or early payoff penalties, but some may charge late fees.
Our top picks for best personal loans
- Best overall: LightStream Personal Loans
- Best for debt consolidation: Happy Money
- Best for refinancing high-interest debt: SoFi Personal Loans
- Best for smaller loans: PenFed Personal Loans
- Best for next-day funding: Discover Personal Loans
Check out our list of 10 questions everyone should ask before they apply for a personal loan.
Find the best personal loans
For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, click here.
