You’ve heard that making double payments on your car can help pay it off sooner. But is that really true? In this article, we explain how double payments work and whether they’re a good idea for you.
Make double payments on your car.
Making double payments on your auto loan is an effective way to pay off your car more quickly. While it’s true that making double payments will reduce the amount of interest you pay over time, it can also increase your monthly payment and total cost of ownership.
Make sure that this strategy fits into your budget before deciding to make extra payments each month.
Double payments can be an effective way to pay off your car more quickly.
Double payments are a great way to pay off your car more quickly and save money on interest. By making an extra payment each month, you can reduce the amount of time and money spent on paying off your loan.
For example, if you have a five-year loan with an annual percentage rate (APR) of 5% and make monthly payments of $300 per month ($3,600 total), it will take approximately 20 months to pay off that loan. But if instead you made double payments–two times as much each month–in just 15 months (a total of 30), then!
Higher payment vs early payoff
Keep in mind that making double payments on your auto loan can increase your monthly payment and the total amount you pay in interest.
When you make double payments on your auto loan, the balance of the loan decreases more quickly. This means that you will have more money to invest in other things. However, it’s important to keep in mind that making double payments on your auto loan can increase your monthly payment and the total amount you pay in interest.
A fixed interest rate loan
If you are paying a fixed-interest rate, then making extra payments can save you money in the long run.
A fixed-interest rate means that your interest rate will not change over time. For example, if you have a loan with an 8% annual percentage rate (APR), but only pay the minimum payment every month, then it would take years longer to pay off your debt because of compound interest. Making double payments each month can help reduce this extra time and save money on interest charges by paying off loans sooner than expected.
An ARM (adjustable-rate loan)
However, if you have an adjustable-rate loan (ARM), then making extra payments will not necessarily save you money in the long run because they will be added to your principal balance at the end of the month, making the balance bigger than it was before.
However, if you have an adjustable-rate loan (ARM), then making extra payments will not necessarily save you money in the long run because they will be added to your principal balance at the end of the month, making the balance bigger than it was before.
The only way that this can work is if: 1) You have enough extra cash on hand and 2) Your interest rate stays low enough for several years so that making double payments won’t increase your total interest cost by more than what was saved by paying off early.
This means that each month’s payment will be slightly higher than it would have been if you hadn’t made an extra payment, so payback time is extended as well as increasing your interest costs.
As with any debt, it is important to understand how your loan works. The more you know about the terms of your car loan, the more likely it is that you will be able to make smart decisions about how much money should go toward principal versus interest in each monthly payment.
The best way for consumers to get an idea of whether or not they should make double payments on their car loans is by calculating how much extra money would need to be paid each month in order for them not only pay off their current balance but also leave some extra cash at the end of a term (about 20%).
Making double payments does not always save money
While making double payments on your car loan may be a great way to save money and pay off your debt faster, it’s not always the best idea. If you have an adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM), then making extra payments will not necessarily save you money in the long run because they will be added to your principal balance at the end of the month, making the balance bigger than it was before.
This means that any interest savings from those extra payments could be offset by higher interest rates later on down the line when they kick in.
Bottom line
If you are paying a fixed-interest rate, then making extra payments can save you money in the long run.
However, if you have an adjustable-rate loan (ARM), then making extra payments will not necessarily save money in the long run because they will be added to your principal balance at the end of the month, making the balance bigger than it was before.
This means that each month’s payment will be slightly higher than it would have been if you hadn’t made an extra payment, so payback time is extended as well as increasing your interest costs.