To ask how much you owe on credit cards ?

[anxiousmotherof1]

Getting to the end of maternity leave and i just realized i owe quite a bit on credit cards ! Dont think is that much but my husband is of the opposite opinion !
So how much you currently owe ?

Completely agree @Unicyclethief

Nothing - I don’t have one.

Though I do owe some money on 3 mattresses and a bed and am paying those off interest free in instalments. Will be paying about £80 a month until roughly April / May of next year, and about £27 a month for two more years after that.

I have the highest debt on this thread. I'm pretty sure a lot of people have similar but haven't commented. My post was pretty upbeat but if you asked me last year would have not even been able to tell you the amount. Head in the sand. It's only because I now know we can pay it off that I can be upbeat.... it's not surprising most replies are zero. Knowing how most "middle class" (hate calling it that) people live I'm pretty sure we're not so unusual!

Actually we are really bad so maybe we are unusual I just remembered up to last year we also had a car loan which is now paid (then I promptly crashed the bastard thing!) a previous consolidation loan now finished and up to the year before that windows and a sofa on credit. So my debt has actually reduced from over 30,000! And only because one loan finally finished (10 years!) and I got some inheritance.

Shameful!

@countfosco we use our credit cards for rewards, move spending over to them and pay them off every month. We have gained a lot of benefits which you would miss otherwise.

Nothing, as I pay it off each month, so that is not debt just an alternative way of paying, I use my credit card for everything, including paying for tiny £1 things and also paid for new boiler with it. This is because I amass points and every so often John Lewis send me a nice gift voucher to spend of about £50-100

I don't have a credit card.
I had one in the past several years ago and didn't use it very responsibly to be honest so never ever again.

Scarily £15,800 on 2 different cards. Paying off 1 first then will tackle the other. .
But I would do it again. It helped me buy my flat. Debt for a reason is ok if you can plan how to pay it off

Zero

why put something on short term credit when you don't need to

If you use credit cards well, pay them off in full each month via Dirrct Debit and stick to them for essentials only (so no frivolous spends), such as supermarket shopping, it's a great way of cultivating a strong credit score. You are then classed as a good risk, for example, you stand a better chance of getting a mortgage without having to jump through too many hoops. It's just good finance management.

it's not surprising most replies are zero. Knowing how most "middle class" (hate calling it that) people live I'm pretty sure we're not so unusual!

I don’t understand this - is having a credit card / or not, supposed to be an indicator of class?

On BBC breakfast, Paul Lewis just said 4 million people in long term persistant credit card debt who pay off less per month than the interest they pay and banks are doubling the amount they have to repay each month

£106.

I only got a credit card to try and build a credit rating. I buy my groceries on it and then pay it off in full when it's due. I don't use it for big purchases.

I am not currently a homeowner and my long term goal is to get good credit.

About 3.5k on mine, and 3k on a family one.
I have a sort of psychological limit where I feel uncomfortable if it goes much higher.

I pay a set amount off each month but usually spend it again before the next month comes around.

I transfer on to 0% regularly so don't pay much interest.

I think it partly depends what you are using the credit cards for. I do think over 5k pretty much just on baby clothes and eating out over the past year is a waste and a bit ridiculous, and I'm not surprised your DH is a bit pissed off to be honest, especially if he has been paying all the bills for the past 3 months.

My money was quite tight on my last maternity leave so I mainly spent time wither taking the DDs to the park / ducks, visiting free or cheap toddler groups, and taking it in turns to visit friends or have friends over as those things generally cost very little. It is possible to do maternity leave with a very small budget.

I do a lot of internet shopping and send a lot of stuff back if it doesn't fit/ I changed my mind/ I ordered more than I needed to get free postage.
I'd rather use my credit card for this so it's not all coming out of my current account.

Most I've had is over £50,000 (deliberately, doing up a house)

Did the same last year - had £14,000 on it - now only £1300 left to pay next month.

It's not a surprise that my credit rating is good. I get masses of spam/phone calls/mail shots with 'free credit card/you are already approved' bollocks

Will likely not need it again as not moving again - trying to decide if I should buy myself an extra month by putting my shopping on it and then paying it off every month so I maintain my credit rating

Anyone know how long you keep a good credit rating for if you stop using it?

About 70 pounds

I mainly use our credit card because I live abroad and like to buy things (clothes, books) from UK companies. It's also the easiest way to pay for train tickets where i am (you have to register with the train company and wait for a code by post if you want to use their direct debit system, and I CBA). But I treat it like a debit card with a slightly delayed removal of the funds from our account. I make sure there's always enough in there to cover the entire balance.

No credit card and so no balance.

Have bad credit rating (debt all squared away now) and have no interest in correcting that. Won't be wanting credit again.

I am a homeowner.

Never had one.

I don't have a credit card or overdraft. I'm not up on a pedestal looking down from my debt free tower though. I have a hefty kitchen loan and still paying off my first divorce well into my second marriage!

We spend about £2,500 -£2,800 on average per month on our card, but it is automatically repaid from our current account, so I don't think it counts as 'owing'. I prefer the itemised bills to those of the current account as easier to check since they are not mixed up with direct debits etc.

However, we don't get 'points' from it; someone mentioned the Tesco card, any other suggestions? We don't need zero interest etc.

"" If you’re on maternity leave with his child then surely you AND he have £5500 on a CC not just YOU.""

While finances should be shared, you don't have to take on debt that occurred before the relationship.

"" If you can't afford it don't buy it.""

Living without a fridge freezer or washing machine would have cost me more than the small amount of Interest that I paid.

I now have around £900 worth of debt, which I can manage, to pay off, as I'm already on the lowest income that I can be (disability benefits), so I'm not going to have a 'shit-hit-the-fan' moment and not be able to cope.

I consider it controlled nesesary debt. If you have disposable income, family/friends who can help out, then good for you. I don't.

I'd also take Martin Lewis's advice about using my credit card (Halifax), when going abroad.

Zero. Despite having been on unpaid maternity leave.

I'll just ignore the fact we've eaten nothing but lentils and potato for the last month to avoid debt