What is the highest interest rate a credit card can charge?
Sophia Koch
Updated on January 23, 2026
36%
The current highest credit card interest rate is 36%. That’s on the new First PREMIER® Bank Credit Card. The next highest credit card interest rate seems to be 34.99%, charged by the Total VISA® Credit Card and the First Access VISA® Credit Card.
What is the highest interest rate a company can charge?
The interest rate the lender sets depends on two things — what the lender thinks you will pay and what the law allows them to charge you. The law says that lenders cannot charge more than 16 percent interest rate on loans.
How much interest do credit card companies usually charge?
The average credit card interest rate is 18.04% for new offers and 14.61% for existing accounts, according to WalletHub’s Credit Card Landscape Report. Much like there are many different types of credit cards, there are lots more average credit card APRs worth considering, too.
Is there a cap on credit card interest?
What you may not know is that, on a federal level, there is no maximum interest a credit card company can charge. However, cardholders can find a bit of security in the CARD act and usury laws, which set limits on a state by state basis.
How do you avoid paying any fees or interest to a credit card company?
The best way to avoid paying interest on your credit card is to pay off the balance in full every month. You can also avoid other fees, such as late charges, by paying your credit card bill on time.
Is there a maximum interest rate on a credit card?
What you may not know is that, on a federal level, there is no maximum interest a credit card company can charge. However, cardholders can find a bit of security in the CARD act and usury laws, which set limits on a state by state basis. Is there a maximum interest rate for credit cards? The short answer to this question is “no.”
Can a credit card company charge a higher interest rate?
updated JUL 07, 2017. Generally, there is no federal law that limits the interest rate that a credit card company can charge. The law of the state where the card company has its headquarters generally determines the maximum interest rate the card issuer can charge.
Can a National Bank charge the highest interest rate?
Usury law sets a limit on the amount of interest that can be charged on different kinds of loans. Most states have usury laws, however, national banks can charge the highest interest rate allowed in the bank’s home state not the cardholders.
Are there federal laws on credit card interest rates?
Federal law does not mandate interest rate limits for credit cards, but credit card companies must follow certain federal rules under the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure Act of 2009 ( Credit CARD Act ). Some, but not all, states have ” usury ” laws that limit the interest a lender may charge on a debt.