Trump’s Push for Credit Card APR Cap is Popular; Effects May Not Be

Earlier this week, President Donald Trump took to social media in support of a cap on credit card interest rates, saying Americans are being "ripped off" and proposing a one-year limit of 10%, starting Jan. 20, 2026.

This idea isn’t new — Trump mentioned it during his 2024 presidential campaign. There are bipartisan bills in the Senate and House calling for the same 10% limit, though the Senate version would apply for five years instead of one. Those bills were introduced in February and March of 2025, respectively, but have seen little movement so far.

So while Trump’s support isn’t new, the timing is curious. One possible factor is his low polling numbers on economic issues.

Americans are concerned about keeping up with costs, and many are struggling under the weight of high-interest credit card debt. NerdWallet’s 2025 Household Credit Card Debt Study found that U.S. households with revolving credit card debt owe an average of $11,413, a 4.34% increase compared to last year. And 47% of Americans with revolving credit card debt say their balances are likely to increase in 2026.

Experts say the proposal fits into a broader affordability message. “Over the last week, the Trump administration has put out a number of policy proposals designed to address affordability issues, which are top of mind for voters,” says Neale Mahoney, director of the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research. “This seems like part of that set of proposals.”

Opponents of the 10% cap have expressed concerns, however, that one seemingly simple fix can have a lot of unintended consequences for all consumers.

Why are credit card interest rates so high?

The average APR charged for credit card accounts that incurred interest was 22.3% as of November 2025, according to the Federal Reserve. And APRs have been steadily on the rise — in Trump's words, they've "festered unimpeded" — over the past several years. Nearly four years ago, for example, that figure was 16.17%.

A big part of what makes interest rates so high is the risk to lenders. Credit cards provide unsecured loans, meaning there’s no property — like a home or car — for the bank to seize if you stop making payments on your debt.

Credit card companies’ operating and marketing costs also play a role in high interest rates. According to an October 2025 report on credit card banking from the Federal Reserve of New York, banks that issue credit cards spend 10 times more on marketing than banks that don’t issue cards.

Potential benefits of the 10% cap

Of course, if you pay your credit card bill in full and on time every month, the listed APR is irrelevant because you'll never owe any interest. But for many American households, that's easier said than done.

For those cardholders who are revolving balances month to month, the main benefit of a 10% interest rate cap would be considerable savings on interest payments for as long as the cap is in place. For example, if you have a $10,000 balance on a card charging 22% APR, you’d save about $1,200 in interest for the year.

“Credit cards with high interest rates regularly trap working people in endless cycles of debt," said U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., in March 2025 amid the introduction of a bill she co-sponsored that would also cap credit card interest rates at 10%. "At a time when families are struggling to make ends meet, we cannot allow big banks to shake down our communities for profit."

It seems like a slam-dunk. If you have credit card debt, you’ll get some breathing room to pay down that debt more aggressively, or to bolster your savings.

What the opposition has to say

Opponents argue it isn’t that simple, and that a rate cap isn’t a substitute for broader, consumer-friendly reforms.

“The administration withdrew support for a rule that would have capped credit card late fees at $8," Mahoney says. "They waved through the Capital One-Discover merger, which some experts warned would raise credit card interest rates. And they gutted the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which had been taking actions that could have increased competition in this part of the market. Until now, they had been pushing in the opposite direction.”

A diverse group has expressed concerns — from consumer advocates, to trade associations and lobbying groups for banks, credit unions and payments. The major concern is that a 10% interest rate limit would trigger a domino effect of consequences.

“A 10% cap is significant, especially in the subprime and near-prime segments of the market, where prevailing interest rates are close to 30%. It’s hard to imagine a cap at that level not leading to a significant pullback in access to credit,” Mahoney says. “Further up the market, the most likely response would be a pullback of popular rewards programs.”

Critics say a rate cap could ripple through the broader economy. Consumer spending makes up around 70% of the gross domestic product in the U.S., and credit cards are used in more than a third of payments. Newly imposed credit limits and/or rejected card applications could reduce spending power in a big way. Plus, account closures and reduced credit limits can lower consumers’ credit scores, affecting their access to other loans at favorable rates.

A reduction in rewards could affect not just the consumers who use them, but also the businesses that build them into their bottom lines. Airlines, for example, count on credit card loyalty programs for a sizable amount of revenue.

In other words, some opponents of a rate cut argue, this is a complex problem — or symptom of a larger problem — without one specific cure-all. There is some evidence, though, that perhaps a higher rate cap could be a compromise, offering savings on interest while maintaining credit access and protecting rewards.

A "cap of 15% would have very little impact on rewards or lending volumes at any FICO tier," according to a 2025 study from the Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator.

What would it take for a credit card interest rate cap to become law?

A change in laws surrounding credit card interest rates would require congressional approval, but bills don’t become laws overnight (or in this case, by Jan. 20).