Credit Cards

• 13.36% (all fixed)
• 14.44% (all variable)

Here's a look at the state of credit card rates from Bankrate.com's weekly national survey of large banks and thrifts conducted March 9, 2011.

The average interest rate for purchases on fixed- and variable-rate credit card offers has held steady for weeks. Currently, the mean fixed rate is 13.36 percent and the average variable rate is 14.44 percent.

On Monday, the Federal Reserve reported that credit card balances decreased in January. Revolving credit, which is mostly credit card debt, fell by 6.4 percent from the previous month to $795.5 billion, according to the Federal Reserve's most recent monthly report on consumer credit. The drop resumes a streak of declines -- interrupted only by a month of growth in December -- that began in October 2008.

Bankrate.com makes it easier to find cash-back credit cards and low-rate cards. You can search by issuer, card type or credit score.