Annual Percentage Rate
The cost of your credit as a yearly rate.
35.99%Rates & feesEvery number,
before you sign.
APR from 5.99%. No fee to apply. No prepayment penalty. And the four numbers that matter, printed by law on every offer.
The federal box
The four numbers on every offer
Under the Truth in Lending Act every lender must disclose these before you sign. Here is our representative example, laid out the way you'll see it.
Truth in Lending disclosureRepresentative example · $2,500 · 12 months
Finance charge
The dollar amount the credit will cost you.
$514Amount financed
The amount of credit provided to you or on your behalf.
$2,500Total of payments
What you will have paid after all scheduled payments.
$3,014Payment schedule: 12 monthly payments of $251.17Prepayment: no penaltyLate charge: per state law, shown in agreement
If an offer anywhere — ours or anyone's — is missing one of these four numbers, don't sign it. How to read a TILA box
Same loan, five rates
What APR does to $2,500 over 12 months
The bar is the total you repay. Lenders in our network land across this range; the exact rate on your offer depends on income, bank history, state and term.
APR
Total repaid
Monthly
Total
Cost of credit
5.99%
$215/mo
$2,582
$82
17.99%
$229/mo
$2,750
$250
35.99%
$251/mo
$3,014
$514
59.99%
$282/mo
$3,385
$885
99.99%
$337/mo
$4,050
$1,550
Payments rounded to the dollar. Bars are scaled to the 99.99% total. Some lenders in our network, particularly for amounts under $1,000 and thinner credit files, offer APRs above this table; a payday loan, for comparison, often exceeds 300% APR. Try your own numbers · Compare with payday and cards
Fees
What's zero, and what isn't
Zebit charges you nothing. Lenders may charge the fees on the right, every one of them capped by state law and printed in your agreement.
Always $0
Application feeRequesting offers through Zebit is free.
$0
Fee to see or decline offersWalk away from every offer at no cost.
$0
Prepayment penaltyPay off early, save the remaining interest.
$0
"Processing" or "release" feeDoes not exist. Anyone asking for one is a scammer.
$0
Set by the lender, capped by your state
Origination feeMost lenders in our network charge none. Where one exists it is deducted from the loan and already included in the APR you see.
0 – 5%
Late payment feeOnly if a payment is missed past any grace period in your agreement.
State law
Returned payment feeIf a scheduled draft bounces. Keep funds in the account the day before.
State law
InterestAccrues daily on the remaining balance — which is why paying early costs less.
In the APR
Typical late fees run $15–$30 or a small percentage of the payment, depending on the state. Your agreement states the exact figure. Spot a fake "fee"
Behind the rate
What moves your APR
↓
Steady, documented income
Regular deposits that comfortably cover the payment are the single biggest lever a lender has.
↓
A clean 90 days of banking
No overdrafts, no returned payments, no gambling-site drafts. Lenders read the statement before the score.
↑
Small amounts, short terms
Lending $300 for three months costs a lender almost as much to run as $3,000 for a year — so the rate is higher.
↑
Thin or bruised credit
Fair and poor files still get offers, at a higher rate. On-time payments to a reporting lender help the next one.
Before you sign
How to read an offer in sixty seconds
Two offers can share a monthly payment and differ by hundreds of dollars in what you actually repay. Read them in this order.
- Total of payments firstThe whole cost, in one number. Lower wins, whatever the monthly looks like.
- Then APRThe only fair way to compare offers of different lengths.
- Then the monthly paymentDoes it fit — not just this month, but the tightest month of the year?
- Then the fee linesOrigination, late, returned payment. Each one printed, each one capped by your state.
- Then the datesFirst payment date and payoff date. Line the first one up with payday.
Your state sets the ceiling
Why the same loan costs less next door
Every state writes its own rules for small-dollar loans — maximum APR, maximum fee, minimum term. Lenders in our network follow the law where you live, which is why offers differ by state.
- Rate caps Some states cap small-loan APRs near 36%; others set no cap
- Fee caps Late and returned-payment fees have state maximums
- Minimum terms A few states require at least 90 or 120 days to repay
- Availability Lenders in our network don't operate in every state
Rate questions
Asked about rates and fees
What APR does Zebit charge?
Zebit doesn't set rates — the lender that makes your offer does. APRs in our network start at 5.99% for the strongest profiles. Our representative example uses 35.99%; some lenders, especially for smaller amounts and thinner credit files, charge considerably more. Your exact APR is on the offer before you sign.
Is there a fee to apply?
No. Applying through Zebit is free, seeing offers is free, and declining every offer costs nothing. Anyone who asks you to pay to apply or to release funds is not us — scam alerts.
APR vs. interest rate — what's the difference?
The interest rate is the cost of borrowing the principal. APR adds required fees, such as an origination fee, and spreads everything over the term as a yearly percentage — so APR is the number to compare offers by. More in the loan guides
Is there a prepayment penalty?
No. Installment lenders in our network do not charge a penalty for paying early, and paying early reduces the total interest you pay because interest accrues on the remaining balance.
What happens if a payment is late or returned?
The lender may charge a late fee and, if the draft bounces, a returned-payment fee. Both are capped by state law and printed in your agreement. Call the lender before the due date if a month looks tight — most will move the date.
Why is my APR higher than the 5.99% advertised?
5.99% is the lowest rate in the network, offered to borrowers with strong income, long banking history and good credit. Smaller amounts, shorter terms, recent overdrafts and thin credit files push the rate up. Compare the total of payments across your offers rather than the headline rate.
See your numbers
Your APR, your payment, your total — in minutes
Real offers from lenders in our network, every one with the four federal numbers on it. Soft credit check only.
Checking your rate does not affect your credit score.