A good APR for a credit card is below 17%. A credit card APR in this range is on par with the interest rates historically charged by credit cards for people with excellent credit, which tend to have the lowest regular APRs.
Key Things to Know
- A credit card’s APR, or its annual percentage rate, is a percentage expressing how much interest you’d owe on a balance over the course of an entire year.
- The average credit card offer has an APR of 22.35% right now, according to WalletHub's latest Credit Card Landscape Report.
- A “good” APR in general is below 17.27%, as that’s the average rate charged to the most creditworthy cardholders. That said, any rate below the average for your credit score is a good APR for you personally.
- Your credit card APR is determined by a variety of factors, including your credit score, your income, and the overall state of the economy. A credit card might have a range of possible APRs or one APR that applies to all cardholders.
Good Credit Card APRs by Credit Score
What constitutes a good credit card APR varies quite a bit by credit score. The higher your credit score is, the lower your APR is likely to be. Even if you can’t qualify for the same rates that people with excellent credit get, you should at least aim for an APR that's lower than the average for your credit range.
Below, you can see the rates to try to beat based on your credit score. Keep in mind that since the average APR is high even with excellent credit, getting a rate slightly below average still isn't all that great. That's why it's best to pay in full each month and avoid interest altogether.
| Credit Rating | Score Range | Good Credit Card APRs |
| Excellent | 750+ | Below 17.27% |
| Good | 700–749 | Below 23.46% |
| Fair/Limited | 640–699 | Below 27.36% |
| Bad | 300-639 | Below 21.87% |
Regardless of what your credit score is, a great APR for a credit card is 0%. The right 0% credit card could help you avoid interest entirely on big-ticket purchases or reduce the cost of existing debt. But you generally need at least good credit to qualify for such a card, and 0% APRs only last for a limited time. On that note, the very best APR for a credit card is one you don't need to worry about. If you pay your bill in full every month, your credit card's interest rate is irrelevant because it will never apply.
If you’re not sure where your credit currently stands, you can check your latest credit score for free on WalletHub.
Compare Low Interest Credit Cards
Good Credit Card Rates by Type of APR
Your credit card’s regular APR and any introductory rates you might get on purchases and balance transfers are not the only APRs that will come with your card. The various types of APRs you might encounter include:
- Introductory APR: This is a low promotional interest rate that lasts for a certain number of months after you open your account, and it applies to purchases, balance transfers or both. A good introductory APR is 0% for 15 months or longer – up to 24 months, in some cases.
- Regular APR: The regular APR is the interest rate that applies to your purchases and balance transfers after any introductory rates expire. It can be fixed, meaning it doesn’t change over time, or variable, meaning that it can go up and down depending on how the economy does. The average regular APR is 22.35% and a good APR is below 17.27%.
- Cash advance APR: This APR applies when you use your credit card like a debit card to withdraw cash from your credit line at an ATM or bank branch. Interest starts accruing right away, with no grace period. Cash advance APRs are usually higher than your regular APR. While there’s really no “good” cash advance APR, ideally yours would be lower than the average of 24.5%.
- Penalty APR: If you pay late, your issuer may apply this interest rate, which will be higher than the regular APR, to new purchases. They can apply it to your entire balance if you’re at least 60 days past-due. The average penalty APR is 27.29%, so anything below that is ideal.
How to Compare Credit Card APRs
Some credit cards have low regular APRs, compared to either the market as a whole or cards with the same minimum credit requirement. Other cards offer low intro APRs for purchases, balance transfers, or both.
Finding a credit card with a good APR starts with figuring out which rates will affect you. To do that, you must know what you’re going to use the card for, how long it will take to pay off your balance, and which credit cards you have reasonable odds of getting. You can break this process down into three easy steps:
1. Narrow down your options.
- If you need to refinance high-interest debt: get a balance transfer card.
- If you need to pay down an expensive purchase over time: get a card with a 0% intro APR on purchases.
- If you plan to regularly carry everyday purchases from month to month: get a card with a low regular APR.
- If you always plan to pay your balance in full every month, then you don’t actually need to worry much about what your APR is, since you won’t owe interest.
2. Check your credit score.
You can check your credit score for free on WalletHub. This will help you further narrow down your options to cards you have a shot at qualifying for.
3. Compare credit cards.
Use WalletHub’s credit card comparison tool to see how different cards’ terms and features – including their APRs – stack up against each other. Other important things to compare are annual fees, foreign transaction fees, rewards, and supplemental benefits.
When comparing credit card APRs, you can also use WalletHub’s credit card interest calculator to see how much money you’d save with one card over another.
Below, you can compare the top options for 0% purchases, balance transfers, and low regular APRs. They’re definitely a great place to start.
Opinions and ratings are our own. This content is not provided, commissioned, or endorsed by any issuer. WalletHub independently collected information for some of the cards on this page.
Best Credit Cards with Good APRs in 2026
annual fee$0 | annual fee$0 | annual fee$0 | annual fee$0 |
Purchase Intro APR0% for 18 months | Purchase Intro APR0% for 21 months | Purchase Intro APR0% for 21 months from account opening | Purchase Intro APR0% for 21 billing cycles |
transfer intro apr0% for 18 months Transfer Fee: 3% intro fee ($5 min) for each transfer in first 4 months, and 5% ($5 min) for each transfer after that | transfer intro apr0% for 21 months Transfer Fee: 5% (min $5) | transfer intro apr0% for 21 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers Transfer Fee: 5% (min $5) | transfer intro apr0% for 21 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days Transfer Fee: 5% |
Regular APR17.49% - 28.24% (V) | Regular APR16.99% - 27.99% (V) | Regular APR17.49%, 23.99%, or 28.24% Variable | Regular APR14.99% - 25.99% Variable |
rewards rate N/A | rewards rate
| rewards rate N/A | rewards rate N/A |
bonus offer N/A | bonus offer N/A | bonus offer N/A | bonus offer N/A |
SponsoredApply Now | SponsoredApply Now | SponsoredApply Now SponsoredApply Now | SponsoredApply Now |
Finding a credit card with a good APR and actually getting approved for one are very different things, unfortunately. But the good news is there are steps that you can take to improve your chances.
How to Get a Good Credit Card APR
Improve Your Credit Score
People with better credit scores get better credit cards. And the higher your score is, the more options you will have. Improving your score will help you qualify for a higher-tier card, for one thing. And since many credit cards advertise their APRs as a range (e.g. 13% - 23%), it may enable you to get a better rate on a card you’d get approved for anyway.
Reducing your credit utilization, paying down debt, and correcting credit report errors are all good ways to improve your credit score. The more responsible you are, the more quickly your score will rise. But you can determine the best approach for your particular situation by reviewing your free personalized credit analysis from WalletHub.
Shop Around
You’re unlikely to get the best deal on anything you buy if you go for the very first offer that you come across. So comparison-shop your way to the best credit card rates for your needs. You can use WalletHub’s comparison tool to see how different cards stack up against one another.
Make a Payoff Plan
How good a credit card’s APR will be depends on how long it remains in effect. Low introductory APRs last for only a limited time before a high regular APR takes their place, for example. And an 18% regular rate won’t cost you too much for a month or two, but carrying a balance for a long time will be expensive.
Therefore, you should determine what monthly payments you’ll make in advance and look for a card whose APR package complements your schedule.
Use the Island Approach
Using the same card to make everyday purchases and carry a balance from month to month is a bad idea. It makes your debt more expensive, for one thing, since your normal spending will be added to the amount accruing interest on a daily basis. In contrast, if you use a separate card for everyday purchases and pay your bill in full every month, your standard spending will be interest-free.
Separating your everyday spending from longer-term balances also lets you get the best possible terms for both. You can use a rewards credit card for everyday spending since you’ll be paying in full every month and its APR thus won’t matter. And you can use a 0% APR credit card to save on the balance you’ll carry from month to month. This method of using separate credit cards to meet different needs is called the Island Approach.
When a Credit Card With a High APR Makes Sense
A high APR is not an issue when you plan to pay your balance in full every month. After all, if you do that, you’ll never owe interest, so the APR doesn’t really matter. That means you can focus on other card terms and features such as fees, rewards, and supplemental benefits. The best rewards cards usually have high interest rates.
Another situation where it’s okay to get a card with a high regular APR is when it’s preceded by a long 0% introductory APR on purchases and/or balance transfers. Once the intro APR expires, you can start paying your balance in full each month.
Bottom Line
It’s important to remember that the best APR for a credit card is one that never takes effect. Americans owe over a trillion dollars in credit card debt, and we’re spending millions per year on interest. It’s very difficult to get ahead when you’re trying to get out from under a big credit card balance. So make sure to keep your spending in check, pay off your credit card debt as quickly as possible, and explore other debt solutions if necessary.
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