How to get a lower credit card APR and pay off debt faster

Your card’s interest rate isn’t set in stone. You can call the company and ask for a lower one. It costs nothing to ask, and the worst answer is no. Here’s what to say, word for word, and what to do after the call.

Why a few points matter

Card interest is charged on your balance every month. When the rate drops, less of each payment goes to interest and more goes to the balance. You pay the same amount and the debt shrinks faster.

For a sense of where you stand: the Federal Reserve’s latest figure for credit card accounts charged interest at commercial banks is an average rate of 22.36% (August 2026) (Federal Reserve G.19). If yours is well above that, you have a good reason to call.

Get your numbers ready

Before you call, write these down so you’re not hunting for them on the phone:

• Your current APR. It’s on your statement and in your card’s app.
• Your balance on that card.
• Your history with them. How long you’ve had the card, and whether you’ve paid on time.
• Any better offer you really have. A lower rate on another card, or a balance transfer offer in the mail.

Start with your highest-rate card. That’s where a cut saves you the most.

Good times to call

• After several months of on-time payments.
• When your credit score has gone up since you opened the card.
• When another bank has offered you a lower rate.
• When your rate went up after a late payment. If you were more than 60 days late, the card company has to bring back your old rate once you make six on-time minimum payments in a row (CFPB).

The script, word for word

Call the number on the back of your card. Ask for the department that handles interest rates or account changes. Then keep it short and friendly:

If they say yes, ask two things before you hang up: whether the new rate is permanent or ends on a set date, and whether the change involves a credit check. Some companies may want to check your credit first, and it’s better to know before they do.

Write down the date, the rep’s name and the new rate. Then check your next statement to make sure it shows up.

In Glow Up, Lower my rate fills this script in with your card and your APR, and shows what a lower rate would save on your plan.

If they say no

A no today isn’t a no forever. You still have options:

• Ask once more, politely. “Is there someone else who could take a look?” A different person may have more room to say yes.
• Try again in a few months. More on-time payments make a stronger case.
• Ask about a hardship program if money is tight right now. The CFPB suggests explaining why you can’t pay, how much you can afford, when you could go back to normal payments, and what you’re asking for and for how long (CFPB). Ask what the plan means for your card before you agree.
• Look at a balance transfer. A 0% intro offer can beat a small rate cut. But a card company can charge a transfer fee even on a 0% offer (CFPB), and the regular rate kicks in when the intro period ends. Run the numbers first, and put the end date on your calendar.
• Check smaller banks and credit unions. In a 2024 report, the CFPB found the 25 largest card companies charged rates 8 to 10 points higher than small and medium banks and credit unions (CFPB).

Be careful with companies that promise to make your debt go away for a fee. A debt settlement company isn’t allowed to charge you before it settles your debt (CFPB). If you need more help, look at nonprofit credit counseling, and ask up front what it costs.

Make the lower rate count

A lower rate helps most when your payment stays the same. Keep paying what you paid before. The money that used to go to interest now goes to the balance.

If you have more than one card, send anything extra to the card with the highest APR first. That’s the avalanche method, and it saves the most interest. (More in avalanche vs snowball.)

To see the difference for your own cards, run the free Haluvra debt payoff calculator twice: once with today’s APR and once with the new one. You’ll see how many months closer your debt-free date gets. In the Haluvra app, the Glow Up plan has a Lower my rate tool that fills in this script with your highest-rate card and shows what a 5-point cut would save. It also has a balance transfer calculator.

Or try the free debt payoff calculator

Keep reading

• Why your minimum payment feels like it does nothing
• How to calculate your real debt-free date