With holiday shopping in full swing, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is warning credit card companies it’s on to their illegal bait-and-switch rewards tactics used on consumers.

Some credit card companies are illegally devaluing rewards points and airline miles, relying on fine print to cancel rewards consumers earned, using vague language on how to earn rewards, or making it difficult to redeem rewards, the CFPB said. It also called out extremely high interest rates and statement and late fees on retail credit cards.

To help consumers, the CFPB launched the Explore Credit Cards tool using open data so people can more easily make apples-to-apples comparisons about their credit card options. The tool provides unbiased, comprehensive data for more than 500 cards, and the data is available to everyone, it said.

“Large credit card issuers too often play a shell game to lure people into high-cost cards, boosting their own profits while denying consumers the rewards they’ve earned,” said CFPB Director Rohit Chopra in a statement. “When credit card issuers promise cashback bonuses or free round-trip airfares, they should actually deliver them.”

What does the Explore Credit Cards tool do?

The tool allows consumers to compare cards based on credit score range, interest rates, fees, and rewards offerings so they can choose the most suitable one, the CFPB said.

Earn rewards on your spending: See the best credit cards

The tool will also promote competition, allowing smaller providers and companies with better credit card offers a chance to compete, the regulator said.

By law, only the 25 largest issuers of credit cards and 125 others selected by the CFPB as a representative sample of all issuers are required to submit data to the CFPB. Other issuers are encouraged to voluntarily contribute their data, CFPB said.

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How much can consumers save?

A CFPB study showed the 25 largest credit card issuers charged interest rates 8 to 10 percentage points higher than smaller banks and credit unions. That difference can cost the average cardholder $400 to $500 per year, it said.

Retail credit cards can be even costlier for consumers. Ninety percent of retail cards reported a maximum APR above 30%, compared to only 38% of non-retail general purpose cards, the CFPB said.

Worse, many private label cards have a fixed APR, so all cardholders, regardless of creditworthiness, are charged the same rate, the CFPB said. In December, private label cards for the top retailers had an average APR of 32.66%. Large retail credit card issuers also increased the cost of their cards by charging for paper statements, the agency said.

Profit-sharing agreements between retailers and issuers may motivate aggressive retail card marketing to consumers and get them to spend more, the CFPB said.

Medora Lee is a money, markets and personal finance reporter at USA TODAY. You can reach her at [email protected] and subscribe to our free Daily Money newsletter for personal finance tips and business news every Monday through Friday morning.