Bank of america credit card finance charge calculation method

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To calculate the amount of interest you're charged, follow these steps below. Please note, we recommend having your billing statement readily available to locate the pieces of information needed. 

  1. Find the Days in Billing Period line. Make note of the number of days in the billing period. You can find it on page 1 of the statement, at the bottom of the Activity Summary section.
  2. Locate your Annual Percentage Rate (APR). Your APR is listed in the second to last column of the Interest Charge Calculation section, towards the end of the statement. 
  3. Calculate the Daily Periodic Rate (DPR).
    1. Take the APR and divide it by the number of days in the current year.
      Example: 23.49% APR / 365 days = 0.0643561% DPR.
    2. Once that's done, covert this to a decimal by dividing the DPR by 100*.
      Example: 0.0643561% DPR / 100 = 0.000643561 DPR
  4. Find the Balance Subject to Interest (BSI). Within the Balance Subject to Interest column, you'll see the amount(s) listed for balance transfers, purchases, and cash advances. 
  5. Using the information from above, calculate the interest charged. Take the Balance Subject to Interest, multiplied by the Daily Periodic Rate (in decimal form), multiplied by the Days in Billing Period.
    • The formula is: BSI x DPR x Days in Billing Period = Interest charged.
      Example: The purchase balance subject to interest is $1500, the APR is 23.49% and there's 32 days in the billing period.
      To calculate the interest charged based on this information: $1500 (BSI) x 0.0006435 (DPR in decimal form) x 32 Days in Billing Period = $30.88
    • Payments made before your due date can reduce the overall BSI as its based your average balance(s) for the entire billing period.

Additional information:

*In this example, 0.0643561% DPR divided by 100 can be achieved by moving the decimal to the left two places. This means we add two zeroes immediately after the decimal point. 

If you have questions or need assistance, please call us at 800-285-8585 and a banker can help you. We accept relay calls.

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Bank of america credit card finance charge calculation method

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A finance charge is a broad term referring to any amount that you pay in order to borrow money. This may include interest charges and other fees that lenders charge, depending on the type of loan and your individual terms.

When it comes to credit cards, you’ll have to pay a finance charge if you fail to pay your balances in full and on time each month. Over time, those charges can add up, especially if you continually carry a balance on your card month-to-month.

Once you receive your statement each month, you will usually have a given period of time, or grace period, before the payment is due. Under the Credit CARD Act of 2009, this period must be at least 21 days, but many issuers offer 25-day grace periods.

What is a finance charge?

A finance charge is any cost you incur by borrowing money. For credit cards, finance charges include interest and other fees indicated in the cardholder agreement. These charges can vary based on computation methods.

How do credit card companies calculate finance charges?

When you apply for your credit card, your issuer should explicitly state in the terms and conditions exactly how finance charges are calculated. Calculations and rates may vary between issuers and even among cards under the same issuer.

Here are a few of the most common methods and how they’re calculated:

Average daily balance

Average daily balance is calculated by adding each day’s balance and then dividing the total by the number of days in the billing cycle. That number multiplied by one-twelfth your annual percentage rate, or APR, equals your monthly finance charge. This is considered the most common method. If your issuer uses this method, it can be beneficial to pay your balance throughout the month, lowering your daily balances.

Daily balance

Similarly to average daily balance, your issuer calculates the actual balance you carried each day of your billing cycle. Instead of taking the average, though, each day’s balance is multiplied by 1/365th of your APR to find the daily finance charge, then added together to total your finance charge for the billing cycle.

Two-cycle billing

A credit card computation method in which you are charged interest on two cycles of card balances rather than just the most recent. This method can result in interest charges on debts already paid and was outlawed under the Credit CARD Act of 2009.

Previous balance

Under this method, charges are based on the balance carried over from your previous billing cycle to the new one or the outstanding balance at the beginning of the billing cycle.

How to avoid finance charges

The best way to avoid finance charges is by paying your balances in full and on time each month.

As long as you pay your full balance within the grace period each month (that period between the end of your billing cycle and the payment due date), no interest will accrue on your balance. If, instead, you pay just the minimum amount due, you’ll find finance charges calculated into your next statement based on whichever method your issuer uses.

Other types of finance charges, like balance transfer fees, late fees and cash advance fees are difficult to avoid if you incur them, and they don’t have the same grace periods as interest charges. Consider whether taking on these charges is worth the benefits you’ll receive.

Similarly, if your card has a zero percent introductory APR promotional offer, make sure you read your terms to understand the finance charges you’ll take on if you haven’t paid your balance in full by the end of the introductory period, so you can avoid them when the time comes.

How do you calculate finance charges on a credit card?

A common way of calculating a finance charge on a credit card is to multiply the average daily balance by the annual percentage rate (APR) and the days in your billing cycle. The product is then divided by 365 . Mortgages also carry finance charges.

What is the finance charge calculation method for American Express?

Amex will multiply the average daily balance by the daily periodic rate, which is the APR listed on your account divided by the number of days in a year. Next, Amex will multiply that daily periodic rate by the number of days in the billing period.

How are CC charges calculated?

Formula used to Calculate Interest on Credit Card (Number of days counted from the date of transaction x outstanding amount x Interest rate per month x 12 month)/365.

What is the finance charge calculation method for visa?

The Finance Charges for a billing cycle are computed by applying the monthly Periodic Rate to the average daily balance of Credit Purchases, which is determined by dividing the sum of the daily balances during the billing cycle by the number of days in the cycle.