With inflation roaring and pandemic assistance from the government now a relic of the past, more people are turning to credit cards to pay their bills.
A total of 48% of cardholders say they don’t pay off their credit-card bills each month, according to a survey conducted for information service CreditCards.com by YouGov.
And 60% of those people have owed their creditors for at least 12 months, up from 50% a year ago.
In addition, 40% of the debtors say they’ve had credit-card debt for at least two years, 28% for at least three years and 19% for at least five years. Another 8% say they don’t even know how long they’ve been in credit card debt.
Obviously you want to avoid credit-card debt if at all possible. Given the high interest rates on credit cards, you can ring up substantial obligations in a hurry. And if you only make minimum payments each month, you’re really in trouble.
Minimum Payments Mean Big Debt
“If you have the average credit card balance ($5,270 according to TransUnion) and you only make minimum payments at the average interest rate of 18.17%, you’ll be in debt for more than 16 years and will end up paying a grand total of $11,875,” said Ted Rossman, senior industry analyst for CreditCards.com.
“This helps illustrate why it’s so important to pay way more than the minimum.”
A total of 46% of cardholders who carry debt said they had to do so to cover emergencies and unexpected expenses, with 11% saying it was medical bills.
At the same time, 24% of credit-card debtors said they took on debt to pay for day-to-day expenses, such as groceries, childcare and utilities.
“Even though Americans’ total credit card balances are down 4% from late 2019, according to the New York Federal Reserve Bank, our data is further evidence of the K-shaped economy,” Rossman said. “While many people are doing better, sadly, many others are doing worse.”
Debt Reduction Tips
So how can you reduce your credit card balances?
Rossman recommends increasing your income if you can. That could mean taking a second job or picking up a side hustle. Or it could mean selling possessions you don’t need. Hopefully you can find a way to reduce your expenses too.
“Credit card debt is easy to get into and hard to get out of,” Rossman said. “High inflation and rising interest rates are making it even harder to break free.”
If you find yourself mired in credit card debt, “my top tip is to sign up for a zero percent balance transfer card,” Rosman said. “These promotions last as long as 21 months. Low-rate personal loans and non-profit credit counseling can also be useful debt payoff strategies.”
