Current credit card interest rates
Average credit card interest rates at U.S. commercial banks, reported both across all accounts and across accounts actually charged interest.
2 series on this page · updated quarterly · most recent observation August 1, 2026
Rate table
Changes shown in basis points; one basis point is one hundredth of a percentage point.
| Loan program | Rate | Prior | 1 month | 1 year | 52-week range | As of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Credit Card Plans, All AccountsAverage across all credit card accounts, including those carrying no balance. | 21.19% | ▲ +25 bps | ▲ +25 bps | ▼ -20 bps | 20.9421.39 | Aug 1, 2026 | Federal Reserve G.19 TERMCBCCALLNS |
| Credit Cards Assessed InterestAverage across accounts actually charged interest -- the rate a borrower carrying a balance pays. | 22.36% | ▲ +21 bps | ▲ +21 bps | ▼ -47 bps | 21.5222.83 | Aug 1, 2026 | Federal Reserve G.19 TERMCBCCINTNS |
Series detail
Two years of history for each series on this page.
Credit Card Plans, All Accounts
Updated quarterly. Average across all credit card accounts, including those carrying no balance. History available from November 1994 (128 observations). 52-week range 20.94%–21.39%, set May 1, 2026 and Aug 1, 2025. Source: Federal Reserve G.19 via FRED series TERMCBCCALLNS.
Credit Cards Assessed Interest
Updated quarterly. Average across accounts actually charged interest -- the rate a borrower carrying a balance pays. History available from November 1994 (128 observations). 52-week range 21.52%–22.83%, set Feb 1, 2026 and Aug 1, 2025. Source: Federal Reserve G.19 via FRED series TERMCBCCINTNS.
Background
Two numbers, and the second one is the real one
The Federal Reserve publishes both. The all-accounts figure averages in cards that carry no balance and therefore pay no interest, which drags it down. The accounts-assessed-interest figure covers only accounts actually charged interest in the period — the rate a borrower revolving a balance is really paying. If you carry a balance, the second number is the one that describes your situation.
Card rates are variable by construction
Nearly every general-purpose card in the United States carries a variable APR stated as the prime rate plus a margin. When the Federal Reserve moves and prime follows, card APRs reprice within one or two statement cycles, with no action by the issuer and no notice required. That makes cards the fastest-repricing consumer product in the market — and the margin above prime, which is set by credit profile and never moves down on its own, is where the real variation between cardholders lives.
Why the average understates what many pay
Published averages span the whole market, including premium cards issued to excellent-credit borrowers. Retail store cards, secured cards and cards marketed to rebuilding credit commonly sit well above 30%. Penalty APRs, triggered by a missed payment, go higher still. The average is a market statistic, not a ceiling.