‘People are stretched’: Average consumer now carries $6,329 in credit card debt

Credit card debt is on the rise.

Americans now owe a record $1.14 trillion on their credit cards, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported Tuesday.

The average balance per consumer stands at $6,329, up 4.8% year over year, according to a separate quarterly credit industry insights report from TransUnion.

Credit card delinquency rates are also higher across the board, the New York Fed and TransUnion found. Over the last year, roughly 9.1% of credit card balances transitioned into delinquency, the New York Fed reported.

Borrowers with revolving debt “are maxing out their credit cards,” said Michele Raneri, vice president and head of U.S. research and consulting at TransUnion, “that’s usually a pretty good indicator that people are stretched.”

“Credit card balances briefly fell in 2020 and early 2021 due to pandemic-related factors,” said Ted Rossman, Bankrate’s senior industry analyst, which included government-supplied stimulus checks and fewer opportunities for spending.

“But since early 2021, credit card balances have rocketed upward by 48%, fueled by a post-pandemic boom in services spending as well as high inflation and high interest rates,” he said.

Consumers have showed a remarkable willingness to splurge on travel and entertainment, a recent report by Bankrate also shows, to recapture the experiences they lost during the Covid years.

“Maybe people can reassess that now,” Raneri said.

The surge in “revenge spending” has now lasted several years, she added. “Maybe there is a way to position it that they can check off some of the things that they feel like they missed and get back to normal.”

Credit cards are one of the most expensive ways to borrow money. The average credit card charges more than 20% — near an all-time high.

“With credit card balances at an all-time high and the average credit card rate hovering near record territory, it’s more important than ever to pay down this debt as soon as possible,” Rossman said.

If you’re carrying a balance, try consolidating and paying off high-interest credit cards with a lower interest personal loan or switch to an interest-free balance transfer credit card, he advised.