How do I avoid interest on credit cards?

Credit card companies will waive interest on a case-by-case basis, depending on both the credit card company’s policies and the cardholder’s relationship with the company. Cardholders with a long and positive account history have a better chance of getting interest charges waived, especially if the person doesn’t have a history of carrying a balance or asking for fee waivers. But even the best account history doesn’t guarantee that a card issuer will agree to take back an interest charge.… read full answer

The best way to go about asking your credit card company to waive interest charges is to call customer service and explain the situation that caused the interest. Being late on a payment or only paying the minimum amount due will trigger an interest charge, for example. And if you usually pay on-time and in full, the card issuer is likely to grant an interest waiver, as long as their policy allows it.

Credit card companies are in heavy competition for your business, and many will do what it takes to keep you on as a customer - including occasionally waiving interest and fees. For example, over 40% of people who have asked their card issuer to waive a fee have been successful, according to a WalletHub credit card survey, but 1 out of 3 people have never attempted it.

It’s also worth noting that some card issuers are temporarily more lenient about interest charges after major natural disasters or during global events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. So if you’d rather not pay an interest charge on your credit card bill – especially if you’re in a period of economic hardship that’s out of your control – there’s no harm in asking your card issuer to remove it.

The easiest way to determine how much interest you will pay on a credit card is to use WalletHub’s credit card payoff calculator. It’s a free tool that allows you to input the amount of debt you have (or will have) and your interest rate. From there, you can set a payoff date, and we’ll tell you what monthly payments you’ll need to make. Or you can set a fixed monthly payment, and we’ll tell you how long it will take to pay off. We’ll also tell you the total amount of interest you can expect to pay and even which credit cards can save you the most money. … read full answer

But before you use our tool, you should first understand the basics of how credit card interest works.

Here’s how much interest you will pay on your credit card:

• If you pay off your balance in full by your due date, you won’t owe any interest.
• If you carry a balance from month to month, the interest you’ll owe depends on your Annual Percentage Rate (APR). That shows how much interest you’d pay in a year. But since credit card interest gets charged daily, your card’s interest rate is its APR divided by 365.
• Credit card interest compounds daily, which means the interest rate applies to your whole balance at the end of each day, including unpaid interest charges from previous days.
• The average APR among new credit card offers is 18.04%. But credit card APRs vary widely based on the applicant’s credit standing.
• Nearly all credit card APRs are variable, as opposed to fixed, meaning they’re based on a particular benchmark interest rate. This usually is the prime rate, which banks use when lending to each other.
• Many cards offer lower introductory APRs on purchases and balance transfers for a limited time, often starting at 0%. Once the introductory period ends, the APR will change to the normal rate.

There’s no way to tell you how much interest you’ll owe without knowing your card’s balance and APR as well as the monthly payment you can afford. But if you plug that info into WalletHub’s calculator, you’ll have your answer in no time.