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What's the Big Deal with APRs?

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Elcid89
Contributor

Re: What's the Big Deal with APRs?


@Dustink wrote:

Any interest is bad interest, and any fee is a bad fee. I am against paying annual fee's and paying interest. I have never done either one. The banks should be paying us, not the other way around. They collect enough off merchant fee's, we don't need to give them interest as well.

 

If you need to carry a balance which it sounds like you do. First and foremost, you should not make the purchase unless it is for your families well being. At the very least you should be using a low interest card, not a high interest store branded card. If you plan on carrying a balance, which is a bad idea in the first place. You should use a card in the neighborhood of 6%, not 25%.

 

It is a bad mentality to get into the idea of it's only a small amount it doesn't matter. Every penny adds up, and the more you waste now. The less you will have later on.

 

For example. $8 now and $4 (increased 3% each year for inflation, as in your jeans are costing more so your finance charges are going up by 3% each year) each month invested at 6% over the course of 40 years (retirement age) adds up. In this case it will be $12,000. So every penny counts. I am not even going to go into the waste of money for the jeans. Just always keep an eye out for ways to save money. The money is flowing well now, but image if the cash flow stopped. You would feel pretty bad about wasting all that money when now you can't even afford necessities.
 


Interest is a cost of acquisition & convenience. One must weigh out whether the pluses of acquiring something more quickly outweigh the minuses of paying a higher price for it. That's a subjective judgment that each of us can only make for ourselves.

 

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Message 31 of 52
Dustink
Valued Contributor

Re: What's the Big Deal with APRs?

I understand that for a house, but not for a superfluous item at 25% interest.

 

I will stick to being a deadbeat.

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Message 32 of 52
improvingmycredit
Valued Contributor

Re: What's the Big Deal with APRs?


@Elcid89 wrote:

@Dustink wrote:

Any interest is bad interest, and any fee is a bad fee. I am against paying annual fee's and paying interest. I have never done either one. The banks should be paying us, not the other way around. They collect enough off merchant fee's, we don't need to give them interest as well.

 

If you need to carry a balance which it sounds like you do. First and foremost, you should not make the purchase unless it is for your families well being. At the very least you should be using a low interest card, not a high interest store branded card. If you plan on carrying a balance, which is a bad idea in the first place. You should use a card in the neighborhood of 6%, not 25%.

 

It is a bad mentality to get into the idea of it's only a small amount it doesn't matter. Every penny adds up, and the more you waste now. The less you will have later on.

 

For example. $8 now and $4 (increased 3% each year for inflation, as in your jeans are costing more so your finance charges are going up by 3% each year) each month invested at 6% over the course of 40 years (retirement age) adds up. In this case it will be $12,000. So every penny counts. I am not even going to go into the waste of money for the jeans. Just always keep an eye out for ways to save money. The money is flowing well now, but image if the cash flow stopped. You would feel pretty bad about wasting all that money when now you can't even afford necessities.
 


Interest is a cost of acquisition & convenience. One must weigh out whether the pluses of acquiring something more quickly outweigh the minuses of paying a higher price for it. That's a subjective judgment that each of us can only make for ourselves.

 



+1

I agree.  There has always been that debate regarding AFs card and non AF cards for example.  One will never understand the other on this and it is all subjective. My dad is of a mind that no card is worth the AF and I believe differently.  What's good for one isn't always good for the other and it's a personal choice.  However, I don't at all disagree with the premise that going into debt is a not good idea and paying more then you can afford for a item should be done with great thought to the possible consequenses of the cost.


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Message 33 of 52
Dustink
Valued Contributor

Re: What's the Big Deal with APRs?

We are off topic here with the AF discusion, but I will comment. I will edit, because I am only against paying an annual fee for average spending habbits. I think an annual fee is worth the cost if the benefits outweigh the cost. For me and for most, I have not found a card that does. I have the US Bank Flexperks Visa Signature, but the annual fee get's waived. I have not found a card with an annual fee that offers better rewards for most spending habbits.

 

I can see how somebody with high spending say $10k-$20k per month could benefit from paying AF's. They would benefit by having a card for each spending category. Airline, hotel, ect. They would also have the specialty perks that go along with the cards, ie free nights, companion tickets, ect.

Too many INQs & low AAoA so I'm off to tend the Garden.     Age:23    


     $17k       $8.5K          Closed          $19k      $6.5k        $24.2k        Closed         $5k       Closed     $8.5k        Closed      @2.49%
Message 34 of 52
knj601
Established Member

Re: What's the Big Deal with APRs?

I just have to chime in about the jeans issue...I really don't see spending that much on jeans a bad thing. If OP can afford them, whether it's cash or making payments, then that is great. Not my place to judge. There is nothing wrong with buying nice things once and a while. What fun is life if it's all about money and finances. I hope you enjoy your jeans!! I bet they are fab! The quality of more expensive jeans makes up for the cost as well!


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Message 35 of 52
Elcid89
Contributor

Re: What's the Big Deal with APRs?

I have found that my AF's are outweighed by the benefits that I receive, but I almost literally live on an airplane. As with most things, it's a value judgment that each of us can only make for ourselves.

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Message 36 of 52
laboi_22
Established Contributor

Re: What's the Big Deal with APRs?


@knj601 wrote:
I just have to chime in about the jeans issue...I really don't see spending that much on jeans a bad thing. If OP can afford them, whether it's cash or making payments, then that is great. Not my place to judge. There is nothing wrong with buying nice things once and a while. What fun is life if it's all about money and finances. I hope you enjoy your jeans!! I bet they are fab! The quality of more expensive jeans makes up for the cost as well!

They are Fab. Thanks.

 

People stop commenting on this thread. IT"S OVER! IT'S DONE. I GET IT. YOU DON'T. IT'S OK. We are not all meant to understand each other. I'm sure everyone here had bad habits and if purchasing something that you need to float for a while regardless of what it is is your business. 

 

THE POINT I WAS MAKING IS DON'T ALWAYS ASSUME INTEREST ON A CREDIT CARD TO BE A BAD THING BECAUSE THERE IS MUCH WORSE THINGS IN LIFE THAN THAT...THAT'S IS ALL

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Message 37 of 52
Jlu
Established Contributor

Re: What's the Big Deal with APRs?

*crickets* 

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Message 38 of 52
improvingmycredit
Valued Contributor

Re: What's the Big Deal with APRs?

Haha- Right! Apparently we aren't supposed to comment on a statement/question posed to the forum. lol.

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Message 39 of 52
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: What's the Big Deal with APRs?

lol - I still don't think people got the point but that's okay. That's why we have chocolate and vanilla, right?

I do see the point of CC's allowing you to buy things on a payment plan even if you could afford them outright, but I also see the point in who would want to pay the interest if you did not have to. In some cases, it is often the latter that starts leading into a life of debt and eventually bankruptcy because one starts to think they can truely afford stuff when in reality they cannot. As for the OP, I think he's made it clear he can afford these purchases. But, others who have been or helped people in debt situations, could attest that the difference between what you can buy and what you can afford begins to blur and eventually leads to high credit card balances and interest that begins to spiral out of control.

Also, not everyone especially young adults starting to build credit in a fragile economy have had the opportunity to build a nest egg yet. They care about APR because these days, it almost seems there is no "secure" job so they like to know that if they have a low APR CC, they could float themselves between unemployment and still be able to cover the necessities in life and pay it back faster (lower interest means you can apply more of what you can afford to principal and not interest).

Therefore, APR means many things to many different people. To some, its the ability to get by in tough times. Others, the ability to pay for something over time. And to someone in deep in debt for whatever reason, it is the worst thing on the Earth.

Message 40 of 52
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