Convenience vs. compulsion About 40 percent of credit card users pay off their cards each month. The remaining 60 percent carry balances. This split in credit-spending patterns has been happening for years, and the gap seems to be widening. There's evidence that folks carrying balances are letting them pile up more and more. It doesn't hurt that credit cards are accepted just about anywhere on the planet.
People are incredibly optimistic.
They've certainly become less cautious about the way they use debt. Optimism will do that. But much of the card debt in America can't be attributed to good-time spending. Credit cards help them stretch an already strained budget through another month. There's evidence that people living paycheck to paycheck are closer to the edge than ever, saddled by heavy credit card balances that are creeping higher and higher.