Rates updated · FRED G.19 TERMCBCCINTNS average credit card APR vs. an estimated best ongoing low-APR card
How much are you losing in a typical credit card instead of the best one?
A saver in a typical credit card gives up about $518 a year versus a top-available one — a gap of 10.36 percentage points (22.36% national average vs 12.00% best available) on a $5,000 balance.
Gap Spread
10.36%
percentage points
Best Available
12.00%
APY
National Average
22.36%
APY
What the gap costs you per year
| Balance | Annual interest lost | 5-year cost |
|---|---|---|
| $10,000 | $1,036 | $5,180 |
| $25,000 | $2,590 | $12,950 |
| $50,000 | $5,180 | $25,900 |
| $100,000 | $10,360 | $51,800 |
| $250,000 | $25,900 | $129,500 |
How the Credit Card Balance Carrier Cost Index has moved
Each month's value is recorded as a dated snapshot. The full machine-readable series is published as a public dataset.
| Month | Index value | Gap | Tracked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2026 | $518/yr | 10.36% | 1 |
| Oct 2026 | $475/yr | 9.50% | 1 |
| Sep 2026 | $475/yr | 9.50% | 1 |
| Aug 2026 | $475/yr | 9.50% | 1 |
| Jul 2026 | $475/yr | 9.50% | 1 |
Methodology
Credit Card Balance Carrier Cost Index = representativeBalance × (bestAvailableAPY − nationalAverageAPY)
representativeBalance is $5,000 — held fixed so the Index moves only when rates move. Both rates come from a fixed source rather than the SwitchWize rate database: FRED G.19 TERMCBCCINTNS average credit card APR vs. an estimated best ongoing low-APR card, last set Q2 2026.
The dated monthly series is published as a public dataset at /data/indices/card-carrier-cost.
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