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Money Mechanicsfrom The Payments Corner
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Cost of credit

See the real price of buying on credit — the monthly payment and total interest.

The purchase

Enter what you’re buying, the rate, and how long you’ll take to pay it off.

The sticker price you’re financing.
Cards often run 20–30%.
Months to pay it off.
How this is calculated

Financing a purchase is a regular fixed-rate loan. The monthly payment is the amount that clears the balance exactly over the term, with interest charged each month at APR ÷ 12.

Total you’ll pay is that payment times the number of months; the part above the price is interest— the cost of borrowing. A longer term lowers the monthly payment but raises the total interest. A 0% offer means you pay exactly the price.

Monthly payment

$105.74

$2,537.81 paid in total over 24 months.

Interest paid

$537.81

on top of the price

Interest vs. price

26.89%

of the sticker price

Every dollar paid

21¢

is interest

On this plan you pay $537.81in interest — that’s 26.89% on top of a $2,000 purchase. Paying it off faster, or at a lower rate, shrinks that number.

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