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| Source: CreditCards.com |
Blake Ellis
CNN Money
NEW YORK — Interest rates are now hovering near record highs, at an average rate of 14.72%. And if your credit is bad enough, you could even end up with a rate as high as 59.9% APR.
That’s because while the CARD Act helped crack down on certain fees and requires more disclosures, it didn’t cap every credit card holder’s worst enemy: interest rates.
Sure, the new rules prevent banks from raising most interest rates retroactively, but there’s no limit on the rates they can charge new customers.
“Rates are going up because card issuers know that once you get a card they can’t raise the rates, so they’re raising rates on the front end to ensure they get the revenue from that interest,” said Beverly Harzog, credit card expert at Credit.com.
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