How amortization shapes your payments
Each fixed payment covers that month's interest first, with the remainder reducing principal. As the balance falls, less goes to interest and more to principal — so extra payments early in the loan have an outsized effect on total interest.
Comparing offers
Two loans can share a rate but differ in fees, so compare the APR rather than the headline rate when shopping. Adjust the term field to see how stretching years lowers payments but inflates lifetime interest.