Credit Cards & Rewards
New card launches, reward program changes, sign-up bonuses, annual fee comparisons, cashback and travel cards, and how to use credit cards strategically.
Latest in Credit Cards & Rewards
Credit card accounts that were charged interest paid an average 22.15% rate in the second quarter, the Fed reports
Credit card accounts that carried a balance and were actually charged interest paid an average rate of 22.15% in the second quarter of 2026, according...
Six Discover card types are moving to Capital One in waves through early 2027, keeping no annual fee and Cashback Match
Discover it Cash Back, Miles, Chrome, Secured Credit Card, Student Cash Back and Student Chrome, six specific Discover products, are migrating to Capital One in...
Navy Federal members who upgrade to Flagship Premier drop to 1 point per dollar on everyday buys and can’t switch back
Two rewards points on every non-travel, non-dining purchase becomes a flat 1 point per dollar under Navy Federal Credit Union’s new Flagship Premier card, a...
The credit-card average interest rate now tops 22% after the Federal Reserve’s rate increase
The average interest rate on a credit card that is actually carrying a balance has climbed to 22.15%, the highest level in recent Federal Reserve...
Credit-card interest rates are stuck near 22%, the most expensive consumer-debt cycle on record
The interest rate on credit card balances that actually accrue a monthly finance charge averaged 22.15% in the second quarter of 2026, according to the...
Regulators are letting big banks keep charging more than $17 billion a year in credit-card late fees
Credit card issuers collected more than $17 billion in late fees in 2024, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s own December 2025 market report...
A federal court threw out the $8 cap on credit card late fees, so the typical penalty is back near $32
A consent judgment signed in a Fort Worth federal courtroom in April 2025 erased the $8 ceiling the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau had placed on...
A credit card’s grace period skips interest when you pay the full balance
The grace period is the single feature that lets a credit card be used without ever paying interest, yet it is widely misunderstood as automatic....
The Fair Credit Billing Act gives you 60 days to dispute a wrong credit-card charge
A wrong number on a credit-card statement is not something an account holder simply has to swallow. A federal law written for exactly this problem,...
You can dispute a credit-card billing error in writing and force the issuer to investigate
A wrong charge on a credit-card statement is not something a cardholder simply has to absorb. Federal law gives every consumer the right to challenge...
Credit-card interest now averages above 20%, so carrying a balance costs more than ever
The average interest rate on credit card accounts that carry a balance climbed to 22.15% in the second quarter of 2026, one of the highest...
Paying your credit-card bill before the statement closes can lower your credit score
A habit most cardholders assume can only help — paying a credit-card balance early, before the statement closes — can quietly cost a few points...
Credit cards stay near 20% after the Fed leaves rates unchanged
The Federal Reserve’s decision to hold its benchmark range steady does not freeze every credit-card account at one rate, but it removes the immediate relief...
Stolen credit-card charges generally leave you owing no more than $50
Federal credit-card protections put a $50 ceiling on qualifying unauthorized charges made with a lost or stolen card before the issuer is notified, and many...
Credit-card delinquencies hit a 15-year high as the average card rate holds near 21%
The share of credit card balances that are seriously past due has risen to a 15-year high, even as the average interest rate on those...
Paying your credit-card bill before the statement closes can lower your score.
Credit-card issuers send just one balance figure to the credit bureaus each month, and it is rarely the balance on any given day. It is...
The $8 cap on credit-card late fees is dead, so banks can charge $30 or more again
Credit cardholders who miss a payment are once again exposed to fees of $30 or more after a federal court vacated the Consumer Financial Protection...
Adding a spouse as an authorized user on an old, well-paid credit card can lift their credit score without opening a new account
Married couples trying to qualify for a mortgage or auto loan at competitive rates can hit a wall when one partner’s credit score lags behind...
Zero interest for up to 21 months is what a balance-transfer card can buy you to pay down debt
Consumers carrying high-interest credit card balances now face a direct choice: keep paying elevated rates or use a balance-transfer card offering zero percent interest for...
Federal law caps what a lost or stolen credit card can cost you at $50
Consumers who lose a credit card or have one stolen face a hard ceiling on what they can be forced to pay for fraudulent charges:...