Discount rate may refer to: Social discount rate (of consumption), the rate at which the weight given to future consumption decreases in economic models Pure time preference, or utility discount rate, the rate at which the weight given to future utility decreases in economic models Annual effective discount rate, an alternative measure of interest rates to the standard Annual Percentage Rate Bank rate, the rate of interest a central bank charges on its loans to commercial banks Discount yield, a rate used in calculating cash flows Fees and other charges associated with merchant accounts.