When people hear that Credit Cards are an expensive way to borrow, they may not necessarily be correct. Comparing Prime Credit Cards to Prime Loans would be a distraction, in these circumstances, the credit card is always going to be the more expensive way to borrow. Rates for a Prime unsecured loan start around 6.9%, where as prime credit cards can be as low as 12%, but that is still almost double.
When it comes to Subprime borrowing though, Credit Cards are competitive and in a lot of instances, cheaper. The average APR on a loan of £1000 for a Subprime Customer is going to be about 80% over the year. The average rate for a Subprime Credit Card is more often than not going to be around 45%. Both are expensive, but the Credit Card is half as costly.
The reason people believe Credit Cards are more expensive is that customers don’t pay them off, they keep balances higher. Whereas a loan would be repaid over a year, the average Credit Card borrower will typically run the balance of their card towards the higher end of their credit limit.
Borrowers who are disciplined, make over payments and pay their balances off, will find that Credit Cards are cheaper in a lot of cases.