How have credit card APRs changed since 2015?
Larkmoor Card (emulated example) → Credit card to apply for → Costs stated up front → Soft check before a hard inquiry
Answer in brief
Fed data puts the average card APR at 21.19 percent in Q3 2026 (preliminary), up from 12.10 in Q3 2015. Its gap over prime widened to 14.44 points.
Content reviewed 8 November 2026. How this is assessed.
Part of the Best Credit Cards to Apply For reference, which uses Larkmoor Card (emulated example) to illustrate credit cards to apply for criteria.
How has the average card APR moved?
The all-accounts APR in the table went from 14.54 percent in Q3 2021 to 21.76 percent in Q3 2024, when prime averaged 8.50. Prime then fell to 6.75 by August 2026, yet the all-accounts APR was still 21.19, so most of the rise did not reverse with prime.
The spread column is calculated here: the APR for all accounts minus the prime rate in the same month. It was 8.85 points in Q3 2015 and 14.44 points in Q3 2026. Since Q3 2024 prime is down 1.75 points and the all-accounts APR is down 0.57.
Commercial bank card plans, percent, Q3 of each year. All accounts and accounts assessed interest from the Federal Reserve G.19 release of November 6, 2026, via FRED TERMCBCCALLNS and FRED TERMCBCCINTNS. Prime is the August monthly average, FRED MPRIME. Read 8 November 2026. Q3 2026 is preliminary. Spread computed here.
| Quarter | All accounts | Accounts assessed interest | Prime rate | Spread, all accounts minus prime |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q3 2015 | 12.10 | 13.93 | 3.25 | 8.85 |
| Q3 2016 | 12.51 | 13.76 | 3.50 | 9.01 |
| Q3 2017 | 13.08 | 14.89 | 4.25 | 8.83 |
| Q3 2018 | 14.38 | 16.46 | 5.00 | 9.38 |
| Q3 2019 | 15.10 | 16.97 | 5.25 | 9.85 |
| Q3 2020 | 14.58 | 16.43 | 3.25 | 11.33 |
| Q3 2021 | 14.54 | 17.13 | 3.25 | 11.29 |
| Q3 2022 | 16.27 | 18.43 | 5.50 | 10.77 |
| Q3 2023 | 21.19 | 22.77 | 8.50 | 12.69 |
| Q3 2024 | 21.76 | 23.37 | 8.50 | 13.26 |
| Q3 2025 | 21.39 | 22.83 | 7.50 | 13.89 |
| Q3 2026 | 21.19 | 22.36 | 6.75 | 14.44 |
What does this table not tell you?
These are averages for reporting commercial banks, and no single card has them. The assessed-interest figure is the annualized ratio of finance charges to balances, which nobody can offer you as a rate. For what plans charge now, see what terms card plans actually carry. For your own rate, read the agreement. The typical APR guide explains the two measures.
Sources for this entry
- CFPB: What is a credit inquiry?: Hard and soft inquiries and their effect on scores.
- CFPB: Unsolicited credit card offers: Prescreened offers and how to opt out.
- CFPB: When a card company can look at your reports: When an issuer can see your full credit report.
- CFPB: Age and credit card issuance: The general rule for applicants under 21.
- CFPB: When a card rate can increase: Notice periods and exceptions.
- CFPB: How to rebuild your credit: How secured cards work.
- FTC: Free credit reports: Free weekly reports and disputing mistakes.
- FTC: Credit scores: Scoring factors and differences between models.
- Experian: Pre-approved vs. pre-qualified: What a preliminary check does and does not mean.
- Federal Reserve: G.19 consumer credit: Average credit card plan interest rates.
- CFPB: Credit card agreement database: What the database covers and who submits.
- CFPB: Grace periods: How a grace period works and how it can be lost.
- CFPB: APR: What an APR is.
- CFPB: Lost or stolen cards: Liability for unauthorized charges.
- CFPB: Who are the credit invisibles?: People with no credit history.
- FTC: Using credit cards and disputing charges: Dispute deadlines and issuer duties.
- Regulation Z: sections 1026.12, .51, .52, .53, .60: Liability, ability to pay, fee limits, payment allocation and application disclosures (each section linked where used).
- Regulation B: sections 1002.2 and 1002.9: Adverse action and notice timing.
- CFPB: Terms of Credit Card Plans survey: Plan-level terms by half year. Read 8 November 2026.
- CFPB: Terms of Credit Card Plans data dictionary: Field definitions for the survey files.
- Regulation Z, section 1026.55: Limits on raising APRs and the temporary rate exception.
- Regulation Z, section 1026.53: Allocation of payments, including deferred interest.
- Regulation Z, section 1026.7: Periodic statements and the minimum payment warning.
- FRED: Commercial bank card plan rate, all accounts: History of the G.19 series.
- FRED: Commercial bank card plan rate, accounts assessed interest: History of the G.19 series.
- FRED: Bank prime loan rate (MPRIME): Monthly average of the H.15 series.
Continue this reading path
- Best Credit Cards to Apply For category guide
- Larkmoor Card (emulated example)
- How to choose a credit card to apply for
- Resource directory
Cite this entry
Best Credit Cards to Apply For. "How have credit card APRs changed since 2015?." Content reviewed 8 November 2026. https://bestcreditcardstoapplyfor.com/credit-card-apr-history/