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Credit card rate report · October 2026

Credit card rates, October 2026: the best start at 8.90% or less

The typical credit card starts at 10.90% APR, and the top tenth at 8.90% or less. Where you live and where you borrow decide which you get.

By Carrot RatePublished October 21, 2026 · Rates checked Oct 15–17

Typical credit card
10.90%
Top 10% up to
8.90%
Credit unions, typical
10.74%
Banks, typical
13.99%

Compare today’s credit card rates

Each month we compare credit card purchase rates at the banks and credit unions we track, nationally and by state and metro. These are this month’s findings; each has its own link to share.

Takeaways

  1. Half of credit cards start at 10.90% or less, and 124 under 8%
  2. Credit unions typically charge 3.25 points less than banks: about $182 a year on a $5,000 balance
  3. Credit cards cost the least in Louisiana and the most in New Hampshire
  4. In Baltimore, shopping around saves 5.31 points

Finding 1

Half of credit cards start at 10.90% or less, and 124 under 8%

On a $5,000 balance carried for a year, the typical rate means about $573 in interest, and one in the top tenth $464 or less.

How credit cards are pricedNumber of cards at each rate (APR), in one-point steps
  • Under 8%
  • 8% or more
A bar chart of how many credit cards start at each rate, in one-point steps from 0% to 25% and up. The typical one starts at 10.90%; 124 start under 8%.

Source: Carrot Rate, Credit card rate report, October 2026

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Finding 2

Credit unions typically charge 3.25 points less than banks: about $182 a year on a $5,000 balance

The typical credit union’s credit card starts at 10.74% APR, a bank’s at 13.99%. Among banks, the largest typically start at 18.49% and those under $10 billion at 13.99%.

What a $5,000 card balance for a year costs in interestAt each APR, compounded monthly, nothing repaid
A bar chart of the interest on a $5,000 card balance for a year: Top 10% $464 at 8.90%; Credit unions, typical $564 at 10.74%; All lenders, typical $573 at 10.90%; Banks, typical $746 at 13.99%; Banks $100B and up $1,007 at 18.49%.

Source: Carrot Rate, Credit card rate report, October 2026

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Finding 3

Credit cards cost the least in Louisiana and the most in New Hampshire

The typical credit card from lenders with branches in Louisiana starts at 9.90% APR, 3.82 points less than in New Hampshire. Half the states sit between 10.97% and 11.99%.

Typical credit card by stateAPR, at lenders with branches in the state; darker is cheaper
A map of the typical credit card in each state, from 13.72% in New Hampshire to 9.90% in Louisiana.
  • 12.20%–13.72%
  • 11.75%–12.03%
  • 11.50%–11.74%
  • 10.91%–11.49%
  • 9.90%–10.90%
  • Too few rates
All states, cheapest first
StateTypicalTop 10% up toInstitutions
Louisiana9.90%8.33%46
Delaware9.99%8.99%11
Hawaii9.99%8.94%29
Michigan9.99%8.90%139
Pennsylvania10.24%8.90%163
New York10.50%8.39%137
Alabama10.62%8.90%66
Illinois10.65%8.90%109
Indiana10.90%9.00%88
Tennessee10.90%8.90%80
Texas10.91%8.90%194
Massachusetts10.95%8.96%48
Ohio10.97%8.99%116
Alaska11.00%8.95%11
Kansas11.00%9.07%42
New Jersey11.25%9.90%53
Vermont11.45%9.09%12
Utah11.49%9.53%42
Virginia11.49%8.90%89
California11.50%8.95%187
Maine11.50%8.90%33
North Carolina11.50%9.36%55
Oklahoma11.50%8.63%38
Washington11.62%9.15%74
District of Columbia11.74%8.97%39
Montana11.74%9.90%24
Arizona11.75%9.15%47
Iowa11.75%8.95%46
Kentucky11.75%9.30%47
Maryland11.75%8.99%49
Missouri11.75%8.91%62
Georgia11.82%8.90%54
Nebraska11.90%9.93%37
North Dakota11.90%8.53%22
Oregon11.90%9.90%53
Arkansas11.95%8.96%27
Mississippi11.99%9.24%36
Wisconsin11.99%8.99%67
Colorado12.00%9.90%64
Minnesota12.03%9.89%74
Connecticut12.20%8.96%42
Wyoming12.20%9.45%16
Florida12.24%8.99%117
Idaho12.25%9.91%32
New Mexico12.50%8.67%28
West Virginia12.50%9.20%29
South Carolina12.60%8.92%44
South Dakota12.74%9.10%23
Nevada13.25%10.07%26
New Hampshire13.72%11.04%14

Source: Carrot Rate, Credit card rate report, October 2026

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Finding 4

In Baltimore, shopping around saves 5.31 points

Baltimore’s typical credit card starts at 12.58%, but its top tenth at 7.27% or less. Detroit is the cheapest at 10.49%.

Large metros: typical and top 10%Credit cards, APR
  • Typical
  • Top 10% up to
A chart of each large metro’s typical credit card and the rate its top 10% pay, from Detroit (10.49% typical) to San Antonio (13.50%).

Source: Carrot Rate, Credit card rate report, October 2026

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Questions borrowers ask

What is a good credit card rate right now?
A purchase APR of 8.90% or less puts a card in the top tenth of the 2,136 issuers we track; the typical card starts at 10.90%.
Do credit unions charge less than banks on credit cards?
Typically, yes: their cards typically start at 10.74%, banks’ at 13.99%.
What do the largest banks charge on credit cards?
Their lowest advertised purchase APR typically starts at 18.49%.

About this report

The figures come from the rates we collect from banks’ and credit unions’ own websites, the same as our credit card pages: each issuer’s lowest advertised purchase APR, cards with annual fees and conditions included. Advertised rates usually need excellent credit. Typical is the middle rate: half the lenders charge more. The top 10% is the rate the lowest-priced tenth charge or beat.State and metro figures cover the institutions with branches there, and need at least ten of them. How we collect rates

Use these charts

You’re free to republish the charts and figures in this report, in print or online, under CC BY 4.0: credit Carrot Rate and link to this report. Each chart has an image with the credit on it, its data, and code to embed it.

Cite this report

Carrot Rate, “Credit card rates, October 2026: the best start at 8.90% or less”, October 2026. carrotrate.com/reports/credit-cards/2026-10

For reporters

For more data, another place or a comment, email press@carrotrate.com.

Compare today’s credit card rates