Almost everyone knows what APR stands for because they have seen it in home loans and other loans that they may have had to get or know about. A payday loan APR can be a hard thing to understand and for good reason.

Interesting, the maximum APR allowed to be attached to a payday loan is regulated in many states. For the borrower, this is good but even then, often a short-term loan comes with an APR that is high.

What's APR?

Many people don't know what an APR really is, or what a payday loan APR is at all.

APR stands for Annual Percentage Rate, which is basically the annual interest rate on the loan itself. With large loans, like a home loan, or small business loan, the APR is usually very low, mostly because the loan is paid back over a long period of time.

However, with Payday Loan APR, it works a little differently.

Payday Loan APR 101

Payday loan APR is a bigger number than the home loan APR because it has one of the highest interest rates on any sort of loan because it is so short term. These loans are normally between 7 and 14 days so they are very short so you normally only pay around $10-$40 in interest.

To show just how astronomical these rates are consider that APR rates for payday loans are most often between 250% and 390%! This in itself is a ridiculous number but then when you consider the loan itself is small, if it can be paid back quickly, the rate is not so painful.

Some states have regulated the highest possible APR that payday loan companies are allowed to use, along with other things - like how long a loan can be out, and if you can renew it or extend it in any way. These laws vary wildly - while some states have very strict laws, some have none at all.

Things to Look for in a Payday Loan

When you go looking for a payday loan APR, there are a few things that you should keep in mind. That's the APR. The lower it is, the less you will need to pay when you are getting ready to pay your loan.

However, sometimes people overlook the fees. What happens is that they see the APR and believe it is reasonable but once fees are added, they realize they are paying outrageous fees for a loan. Therefore, it is always best to look for loan companies that offer not only a low APR, but also low fees.

Conclusion

You should borrow wisely and don't go with a company that has high payday loan APR rates or you will feel it later.