All accounts at commercial banks, August 2026 · 22.36% on accounts paying interest
At the average 22.36% card rate
$1,793 of interest| Year | All accounts | Accounts paying interest |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 so far | 21.04% | 22.01% |
| 2025 | 21.22% | 22.32% |
| 2024 | 21.58% | 22.89% |
| 2023 | 20.90% | 22.15% |
| 2022 | 16.26% | 17.91% |
| 2021 | 14.60% | 16.45% |
| 2020 | 14.71% | 16.27% |
| 2019 | 15.05% | 16.97% |
| 2018 | 14.22% | 16.05% |
| 2017 | 12.89% | 14.44% |
| 2016 | 12.35% | 13.56% |
| 2015 | 12.08% | 13.66% |
| 2014 | 11.87% | 13.19% |
| 2013 | 11.91% | 12.95% |
| 2012 | 12.06% | 12.96% |
| 2011 | 12.74% | 13.09% |
| 2010 | 13.78% | 14.26% |
| 2009 | 13.40% | 14.31% |
| 2008 | 12.08% | 13.57% |
| 2007 | 13.30% | 14.68% |
| 2006 | 13.21% | 14.73% |
| 2005 | 12.51% | 14.54% |
| 2004 | 12.72% | 13.22% |
| 2003 | 12.30% | 12.73% |
| 2002 | 13.40% | 13.11% |
| 2001 | 14.87% | 14.46% |
| 2000 | 15.78% | 14.92% |
| 1999 | 15.19% | 14.81% |
| 1998 | 15.71% | 15.65% |
| 1997 | 15.79% | 15.60% |
| 1996 | 15.63% | 15.48% |
| 1995 | 15.99% | 15.79% |
| 1994 | 15.69% | 15.77% |
Average of the quarterly survey rates in each year.
Source: Federal Reserve, G.19 Consumer Credit, data through August 2026.
insytesBI. (2026). Average credit card interest rate: 21.19%. Data: Federal Reserve, G.19 Consumer Credit, August 2026. https://www.insytesbi.com/economy/credit-card-interest-rates/<a href="https://www.insytesbi.com/economy/credit-card-interest-rates/">Average credit card interest rate: 21.19%</a>21.19% APR across all credit card accounts at U.S. commercial banks in August 2026, and 22.36% on the accounts that were charged interest (Federal Reserve G.19). Store cards and cards for fair credit often charge more.
Many people pay their balance in full and are never charged interest, and some cards have 0% offers. The rate on accounts assessed interest leaves those out, so it is the better guide to what carrying a balance costs.
At 22.36%, a $5,000 balance paid down by $200 a month takes 34 months and $1,793 of interest.
A year earlier, in August 2025, accounts paying interest averaged 22.83%. The highest since 1994 was 23.37% in August 2024 and the lowest 11.96% in February 2003.
The Federal Reserve surveys bank credit card rates once a quarter (February, May, August and November) and publishes them in its monthly consumer credit report.