Interest rates for most credit card types edge up

[Joanne98]

The average annual interest rates charged on two popular types of credit cards rose slightly last week, according to Bankrate.com, while one rate slipped a bit.

For low-interest cards, which have rates below the national average but are often offered only to customers with strong credit histories, the average APR edged higher to 11.24 percent, from 11.19 percent the week before.

For balance transfer cards, which allow consumers to consolidate outstanding debt from one or more cards and sometimes include a low introductory rate, the average annual percentage rate edged up to 12.98 percent, from 12.97 percent the week before.

Cash back cards, which feature cash or other reward incentives and generally require a good-to-excellent credit rating for approval, saw their average APR dip to 13.16 percent, from 13.20 percent last week.

Overall, the average APR charged for all variable-rate cards tracked by Bankrate was 10.71 percent, up from 10.63 percent the previous week.

Bankrate surveys the 10 largest banks and thrifts in the 10 largest markets in the U.S. to determine its averages.

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9689SFG0.htm