The Overnight RateThe Overnight Rate · Live rates
Credit cards charge 21.19% on average. A quarter-point Fed move barely touches that.
Card rates are prime plus a margin, and the margin is where the money is.
These are market averages from the Federal Reserve, not the terms of any card. A specific card's APR, fees and any intro rate are set by its issuer; see the issuer's terms table linked below.
Source: Federal Reserve Board, G.19 Consumer Credit (commercial bank credit card plans), via FRED. Latest observation: Q3 2026 (reported for the middle month of each quarter). Pulled Oct 26, 2026, 10:30 AM ET. Series TERMCBCCALLNS and TERMCBCCINTNS. Prime: Federal Reserve Board, H.15 Selected Interest Rates (bank prime loan), via FRED DPRIME, last changed Thu, Sep 17, 2026 from 6.75% to 7.00%.
Average card APR since 2015
What a Fed move is worth on a card
| Balance carried | Interest change per month from a 0.25-point Fed move | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| $1,000 | $0.21 | $2.50 |
| $5,000 | $1.04 | $12.50 |
| $10,000 | $2.08 | $25.00 |
The plumbing: the Fed funds target is 3.75% to 4.00%. Banks set prime at 7.00%, 3.00 points above the top of that range, and card APRs are prime plus a margin. A Fed move shifts prime, not the margin, and the margin is most of the rate: at 21.19%, the average card sits about 14.2 points above prime. Paying a balance down moves the bill far more than any single Fed meeting does.
Illustration only: simple interest on a constant balance, before compounding and before any change in the issuer's margin.
Where to check a card's actual APR
Every card's APR and fees are set by its issuer and printed in the pricing table on the card's own page, which is the only source we'd quote. We don't list individual card rates here because they change and depend on the applicant.
- American Express: credit cards
- Chase: credit cards
- Capital One: credit cards
- Citi: credit cards
- Bank of America: credit cards
Card agreements from issuers with 10,000 or more open accounts are also filed with the CFPB Credit Card Agreement Database (updated quarterly).
Common questions
What is the average credit card interest rate?
The Federal Reserve's G.19 release put the average APR across all commercial bank credit card accounts at 21.19% for Q3 2026, and 22.36% on accounts that were charged interest.
How are credit card APRs set?
Most card APRs are variable: the prime rate plus a margin the issuer sets for each card and borrower. The prime rate generally moves with the Fed funds target, so a Fed move changes variable card APRs by about the same amount, on the timing set in each card agreement.
How much does a Fed rate change move a credit card bill?
A 0.25 percentage-point change in a variable APR moves interest by about $0.21 a month for every $1,000 of balance carried, before compounding.
Where do I find a card's actual APR?
In the issuer's pricing and terms table (often called the Schumer box) on the card's application page, and in the card agreement. The CFPB publishes card agreements from issuers in its Credit Card Agreement Database.