Credit card spending hits record levels

February 16, 2008 by admin  
Filed under News, News-Credit-Cards

British consumer spending on credit and debit cards hit record levels during the last quarter of 2006, reveals new research.

Findings from the Association of Payment Clearing Service (APCS) showed that out of the total £91.5 billion spent during the Christmas period – an increase on the £86.6 billion spent at the same time last year – £32.3 billion was on credit cards.

Up to £2 million of this figure was spent on food and drink during December 2007, a rise of 25 per cent compared with the same period last year.

Chris Tapp, of Credit Action, a debt charity, said that as the financial squeeze on household budgets is tightened many people may start to use their credit cards to pay for shopping.

He said that, despite retailers’ sales figures being down, credit card spending has increased.

Speaking to the London Stock Exchange, he said: “This is not good news. People using their credit cards to meet their monthly bills is the first sign of a spiral of debt trouble.”

Meanwhile, Nationwide has been voted the UK’s most responsible credit card provider.

Tags: increase, debit, service, food, record, credit, consumer, research findings

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