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 $475 a year versus a top-available one — a gap of 9.50 percentage points (21.50% national average vs 12.00% best available) on a $5,000 balance.
Gap Spread
9.50%
percentage points
Best Available
12.00%
APY
National Average
21.50%
APY
What the gap costs you per year
| Balance | Annual interest lost | 5-year cost |
|---|---|---|
| $10,000 | $950 | $4,750 |
| $25,000 | $2,375 | $11,875 |
| $50,000 | $4,750 | $23,750 |
| $100,000 | $9,500 | $47,500 |
| $250,000 | $23,750 | $118,750 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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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