What terms do credit card plans actually carry?
Larkmoor Card (emulated example) → Credit card to apply for → Costs stated up front → Soft check before a hard inquiry
Answer in brief
CFPB data for late 2025 shows a median plan purchase APR of 24.49 percent across 625 reporting plans: 26.99 at the 25 largest issuers and 14.50 at others.
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.
What do plan terms look like across issuers?
The CFPB Terms of Credit Card Plans survey is collected every six months and made public. The table takes medians across plans in each reporting period and removes issuer names. Each plan counts once, with no weighting by how many people hold it, so a plan from a small issuer counts the same as a plan held by millions.
Median plan terms, by reporting period ending. Calculated on 8 November 2026 from CFPB Terms of Credit Card Plans survey files for the periods ending December 31, 2024, June 30, 2025 and December 31, 2025, linked from the survey page. Medians use plans that reported the field. The data dictionary defines the plan-level field as the median purchase APR for all accounts if the APR does not vary by creditworthiness, and the score rows as medians at origination for that band.
| Measure | Dec 2024 | Jun 2025 | Dec 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans in the survey | 566 | 547 | 663 |
| Median of plan purchase APRs, all reporting plans (%) | 25.74 | 25.74 | 24.49 |
| Same, plans from the 25 largest issuers (%) | 27.49 | 26.99 | 26.99 |
| Same, other issuers (%) | 17.25 | 15.90 | 14.50 |
| Median APR at origination, credit score 720 or more (%) | 21.74 | 22.19 | 19.99 |
| Median APR at origination, score 620 to 719 (%) | 27.74 | 28.24 | 26.74 |
| Median APR at origination, score 619 or less (%) | 27.99 | 28.19 | 25.99 |
| Median cash advance APR (%) | 29.74 | 29.24 | 28.74 |
| Plans with an introductory APR | 133 of 566 (23.5%) | 114 of 547 (20.8%) | 149 of 663 (22.5%) |
| Median length of introductory APR (months) | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Median late fee ($) | 29 | 29 | 29 |
| Median annual fee, among plans that charge one ($) | 95 | 95 | 95 |
| Median balance transfer fee, among plans listing a percent (%) | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Why are smaller issuers lower on the median APR?
Plans from issuers outside the 25 largest have a median APR about 12 points lower in December 2025. Be careful with that: the composition of the survey changes from period to period, the CFPB says it is no longer inviting voluntary submissions, and the two groups serve different people. It's still a good reason to put a credit union or community bank on your list, then read the agreement to see whether you qualify. The survey file records requirements for opening a plan, such as geography or affiliation, and what to compare before applying sets out the rest.
What do the fee rows mean for you?
The median late fee was $29 in each period shown, at plans reporting one. Most plans charge no annual fee: 113 of 663 reported one in December 2025. Medians hide the range, so check your own agreement. For the cost of the first year, use how to work out what a card costs.
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. "What terms do credit card plans actually carry?." Content reviewed 8 November 2026. https://bestcreditcardstoapplyfor.com/credit-card-terms-survey-data/