For years, the typical credit card had what was known as a fixed interest rate. Credit card companies touted the fixed rate as preferable to variable rates – the fixed rate would not change over a certain period, or so credit card holders were led to believe.
The reality of fixed rates: A credit card company may raise rates at any time, as long as holders are given a 15-day notice before changes were enacted. In essence, fixed rates were not truly “fixed.”
The Credit CARD Act of 2009 changed that. The United States Congress no longer allows banks to change a so-called fixed rate with impunity. In a nutshell, the CARD Act put into place “fixed means fixed” – banks cannot change a fixed rate before a certain amount of time has passed, typically a year.
Since this law went into effect, banks across the nation have been switching cardholders to variable interest rates. Congress had left in place certain allotments to banks that wish to change their credit card interest rates and now, credit card issuers that wish to change rates must use variable interest rates.
But, just what is a variable interest rate?
Variable Interest Rate Credit Cards
Variable interest rate cards are based on fluctuation of their APRs through the Prime Rate and a margin — the margin is a fixed rate. The prime rate is determined every quarter by the Federal Funds Rate. This is essentially the rate that banks must pay to borrow federal money. The prime rate is 3 percentage points above the federal funds rate and can change every quarter. You can read more about the Prime Rate in this article.
To combat a loss of revenue from low prime rates, credit card companies may increase the variable interest rate card’s margin. The companies raise interest rates after giving cardholders 45 days notice.
As of February 2010, credit card companies were barred from raising the margin rate on existing accounts. Only the prime rate may be increased or changed on these existing accounts.
Can You Protect Yourself Against Interest Rate Hikes?
The Truth In Lending Act makes it law that a lender must reveal how your variable rate is determined, but this information is almost always included in the fine print. Most cardholders do not read the card agreements in full and can miss important information regarding the interest rates on their credit cards.
It is imperative to read all credit card rates carefully to know exactly what the minimum and maximum rates are that can be charged on the variable rate credit card you are using. If a high minimum is in place, this indicates that the cardholder will never see any benefit if the federal funds rate drop below a specific point. A low minimum rate is a good starting point for cardholders to look for when considering a new credit card.
Like a fixed rate, variable rates can change if a credit card holder is late with a payment. Again, reading the fine print in full will alert you to how often the issuing bank can change interest rates or other charges — and how high rates can go.
To protect against interest rate changes — other than changes to the “default” rate if you make a late payment — customers can consider traditional fixed rate credit cards. But due to the Credit CARD Act of 2009, fixed interest rate cards are becoming the Cryptids of the financial world, elusive and hard to find for anyone but people with the best credit scores.
Fortunately, the Prime Rate is currently low and due to the Credit CARD Act of 2010, existing balances are safe from margin rate increases, making a variable interest rate credit card a safe choice for most people — for now. Just be sure to read the fine print of your credit card statements, where you’ll find advance notice of interest rate increases. In order to prevent any finance charges, always pay your credit card statement in full by the due date.
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