The average purchase APR on store credit cards at large U.S. banks was 31.21% in the second quarter of 2026, against 24.22% on general-purpose cards, a gap of 6.99 percentage points. On accounts opened in the quarter, the averages were 31.78% for store cards and 26.88% for general-purpose cards.
When the series starts in Q3 2012, the store-card average was 23.82% and the general-purpose average 16.87%. At the end of 2019 they were 25.92% and 19.90%.
Average purchase APR, store vs general-purpose cards
| Quarter | Store cards, all active | General-purpose, all active | Store cards, new accounts | General-purpose, new accounts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q3 2012 | 23.82% | 16.87% | 25.49% | 19.03% |
| Q4 2019 | 25.92% | 19.90% | 26.88% | 22.31% |
| Q1 2022 | 25.16% | 19.07% | 26.12% | 21.69% |
| Q2 2024 | 30.41% | 24.91% | 30.67% | 27.50% |
| Q2 2025 | 31.33% | 24.60% | 31.90% | 27.46% |
| Q4 2025 | 31.32% | 24.34% | 31.94% | 27.54% |
| Q1 2026 | 31.21% | 24.19% | 31.80% | 26.75% |
| Q2 2026 | 31.21% | 24.22% | 31.78% | 26.88% |
The CSV has every quarter from Q3 2012.
What this counts
Store cards (the Fed calls them private label) can only be used at one retailer or group of retailers. General-purpose cards carry a network such as Visa or Mastercard. The averages are of the regular, non-promotional purchase APR on active accounts, using the APR at quarter end; the Philadelphia Fed drops rates under 5% as likely promotional. They are averages across accounts, not the rate any one person will be offered, and many store cards also offer deferred-interest promotions that this figure leaves out.
The Philadelphia Fed builds these figures from account-level data that the largest U.S. banks file with the Federal Reserve on form FR Y-14M. They cover only banks large enough to file it, so smaller banks and credit unions are not included. FRED dates each quarter to its first day.
Source
Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, Large Bank Consumer Credit Card Balances (FR Y-14M data), retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (RCCCBAPRAVGPCTPL, RCCCBAPRAVGPCTGP, RCCCOAPRAVGPCTPL, RCCCOAPRAVGPCTGP). FRED shows the series last updated October 7, 2026. We pulled them on October 15, 2026. Our table is available under CC BY 4.0. Credit "My Credit Guide (mycreditguide.org)".
Steven Reynolds, "Store Credit Card APRs vs General-Purpose Cards," My Credit Guide, October 15, 2026, https://mycreditguide.org/data/store-credit-card-apr/.