Upfront charges paid to lower the mortgage interest rate.
Discount points are upfront charges paid to reduce the mortgage interest rate.
Discount points matter because they turn mortgage pricing into a tradeoff between cash paid now and interest saved later. A lower rate can be valuable, but only if the borrower expects to keep the loan long enough for the upfront cost to make sense.
This term also matters because borrowers often confuse points with ordinary lender fees. Points are tied to pricing choice. They are not simply another name for every charge collected at closing.
Borrowers encounter discount points while comparing rate quotes and deciding whether to pay more upfront for a lower ongoing rate. The decision is especially relevant when the borrower expects to stay in the loan for a long time.
At closing, the points appear as part of the upfront costs and influence both the cash needed and the final long-term pricing structure.
One discount point is commonly equal to 1% of the loan amount.
If a borrower pays 1 point on a $300,000 loan, the upfront points cost is:
The exact pricing effect of paying points can vary by market and lender, but the basic cost logic is straightforward.
| Choice | Upfront cash | Long-term rate direction |
|---|---|---|
| Pay discount points | Higher | Usually lower |
| Take Lender Credits | Lower | Often higher |
| Choose Par Rate | Middle ground | Neutral no-points/no-credits benchmark |
| Use Borrower-Paid Closing Costs | Higher | May support a lower-rate pricing choice |
A borrower plans to stay in the home for many years and chooses to pay discount points at closing in exchange for a lower note rate. The tradeoff is higher cash-to-close now for lower monthly interest cost later.
Discount points differ from Origination Fee. Points are primarily a pricing tradeoff used to buy down the rate. Origination fee is a charge for making or processing the loan.
They also differ from Prepaid Interest. Prepaid interest covers interest accrued between closing and the first scheduled payment period. Points are not interest for those interim days.