Credit card rewards statistics (2026): what bonuses and rewards are worth, and what they cost

Last reviewed 30 September 2026. Every number below comes from the CFPB or the Federal Reserve, and each carries its source. For bank account bonuses, which no regulator publishes an average for, see bank bonus statistics.

At a glance

How much are credit card rewards worth in total?

The CFPB says consumers earned $47.5 billion in credit card rewards in 2024, nearly double the rewards earned in 2020. ¹ Points rewards cards earned the most, at $23.9 billion. ¹ Cash back cards earned $16.6 billion, and miles rewards cards earned $6.6 billion. ¹

What is the average credit card sign-up bonus?

The CFPB reports that the average dollar value of rewards bonuses earned decreased from $326 to $311 between 2022 and 2024. ¹ That is the average earned on general purpose cards, not the average advertised offer. A bonus is earned only after the spending it asks for, so an advertised figure and an earned figure differ. The CFPB also cites Competiscan data showing that 61.5 percent of credit card offers with introductory promotional interest rates come with rewards-based welcome bonuses, compared to 20 percent of offers without one. ¹ Credit card sign-up bonus minimum spend and are credit card welcome bonuses worth it go through the spend and the trade-off.

What is the average rewards rate?

Rewards earned as a share of purchase volume has stayed steady since 2021, with a slight increase from 1.4 percent to 1.6 percent. ¹ The rate is higher for consumers with lower credit scores. ¹ Cardholders with superprime scores earn the fewest currency rewards relative to spending, because the CFPB notes some products marketed to them provide other benefits not tied to spending. ¹

Which rewards cards are most common?

Cash back cards became the most common general purpose card, rising from 28 percent of accounts to 36 percent over ten years. ¹ The share of general purpose accounts with no rewards fell to 20 percent in 2024. ¹ Miles cards are about 10 percent of accounts. ¹ Miles versus cash back: which wins compares how each pays out.

What rewards cost

Consumers were assessed $160 billion in interest charges in 2024, up from $105 billion in 2022. ¹ They paid $31.3 billion in fees, up 23 percent from 2022. ¹ Late fees were the largest category at $17 billion, and annual fees reached $8.7 billion. ¹ The share of accounts that charged an annual fee was 16 percent. ¹ About half of accounts revolve a balance, and about 15 percent of general purpose cardholders made only the minimum payment. ¹ The CFPB puts the average APR at 25.2 percent for general purpose cards and 31.3 percent for private label cards. ¹ The Federal Reserve's G.19 release of September 8, 2026 lists 22.15 percent on accounts assessed interest and 20.94 percent on all accounts for the second quarter of 2026. ³ Are annual fee credit cards worth it and the APR and interest guide explain the two biggest costs.

Who has a card, and who carries a balance?

The Federal Reserve reports that 82 percent of adults had a credit card in 2025, compared to a high of 84 percent in 2021. ² It also reports that 45 percent of credit card owners said they carried a balance at least once during the prior 12 months. ²

Rewards versus interest: a one-month example

This is an example, not your rate. At 1.6 percent, $1,000 of spending earns about $16. ¹ Carrying that $1,000 for one month at a 22.15 percent APR costs about $18.46, which is $1,000 times 22.15 percent divided by 12. ³ That is a simple approximation, because real interest uses the average daily balance. When cash back loses to interest works through the comparison, the credit card interest calculator does it with your own numbers, and how average daily balance interest works explains the method.

Bank bonuses versus card bonuses

No regulator publishes an average bank bonus. CardLab's own dataset of official offer terms is in bank bonus statistics, which found a median of $250 across seven tiers on 30 September 2026. That is CardLab's tracked set, not a regulator figure. Bank bonus versus card sign-up offer compares the two kinds of offer, the bank bonus tracker holds the dates, and do you pay taxes on bank bonuses covers the tax side.

Sources and method

The CFPB figures are from its 2025 credit card market report, which uses data for 2024. ¹ The Federal Reserve figures are from its Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking for 2025 and its G.19 release. ^{2 3} CardLab adds no estimates of its own except the one-month example, which is marked. This page does not imply that the CFPB or the Federal Reserve endorses CardLab.