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Why Are Credit Card Rates So High?

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Abstract

Credit cards play a crucial role in U.S. consumer finance, with 74 percent of adults having at least one. They serve as the main method of payment for most individuals, accounting for 70 percent of retail spending. They are also the primary source of unsecured borrowing, with 60 percent of accounts carrying a balance from one month to the next. Surprisingly, credit card interest rates are very high, averaging 23 percent annually in 2023. Indeed, their rates are far higher than the rates on any other major type of loan or bond. Why are credit card rates so high? In our recent research paper, we address this question using granular account-level data on 330 million monthly credit card accounts.

Suggested Citation

  • Itamar Drechsler & Hyeyoon Jung & Weiyu Peng & Dominik Supera & Guanyu Zhou, 2025. "Why Are Credit Card Rates So High?," Liberty Street Economics 20250331, Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
    • Handle: RePEc:fip:fednls:99751
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    File URL: https://libertystreeteconomics.newyorkfed.org/2025/03/why-are-credit-card-rates-so-high/
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    credit cards; banking; asset pricing;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • G51 - Financial Economics - - Household Finance - - - Household Savings, Borrowing, Debt, and Wealth
    • E02 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General - - - Institutions and the Macroeconomy

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