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Answer a straight question please Mr Loan Man!

Alison-J_2
Alison-J_2 Posts: 32 Forumite
I dont get it...What is a flat rate of 4%?? Why cant Mr loan man tell me how much the apr is which is the bit I do understand. When I asked the apr he said, 'to give you an example of how low our rate is, the Bank of England rate is 4.5% and our flat rate is 4%' but i am still confused as to what the apr is on 4% flat rate. Please help me:confused::confused:

Comments

  • Astaroth
    Astaroth Posts: 5,444 Forumite
    APR is the total cost as a proportion of the loan including interest charged plus fees on a loan for £1500 for 1 year.

    To me APR is actually more confusing as not all loans in their various forms can be gained in this form and so APRs can be distorted by annual fees for high value credit cards or for small/ short term loans.

    It can be easily calculated yourself if you know the interest rate and all other associated fees.
    All posts made are simply my own opinions and are neither professional advice nor the opinions of my employers
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  • grumbler
    grumbler Posts: 58,629 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    APR is about twice as much as the flat rate. See Personal Loans article:
    Be especially careful with car loans

    Car dealerships often quote a ‘flat interest rate’ rather than the Annual Percentage Rate (APR) that banks use. This makes expensive loans look cheap. Double the flat rate to get a rough APR e.g. a 6% flat rate is 12% APR. Always compare loans based on the total amount you’ll repay (see Don’t Be A Flat Rate Fool).
    See also http://www.whatsthecost.com/loan.aspx
    For example, £10K, 8% APR, 5 years.
    Total interest is £2165.84

    Flat rate is 2165.84/5/10000=4.33%
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