Consumers managing their credit cards differently, surveys find

ARLINGTON, VA. – Consumers have told surveyors recently that they are using credit cards differently, carrying lower balances and, in general, taking steps to reduce their debt loads according to Cardweb.com, a site on the World Wide Web that tracks card news. A survey by Florida based Consolidated Credit Counseling Services found that 71% of the nearly 1,500 consumers surveyed said that debt was making their home lives unhappy compared to 78% who reported the same thing last year. Likewise, only 75% of consumers reported their credit cards were at their limit, compared with 80% from last year. Six percent fewer consumers reported paying only their monthly minimum on their cards. The CCCS survey was echoed by a similar survey of over 1,300 consumers by Cardweb. According to the Cardweb results 57% of credit card consumers considered a card's interest rate the most important factor when considering which card to use and only 6% considered an account's credit limit the most important factor.