Lenders view credit card debt as one component of your total debt balance. One of the measures lenders use when determining whether to approve your mortgage application is the total debt service (TDS) ratio:  TDS = Housing and vehicle expenses + Credit card payments + Other loans / Annual income. When you factor in your credit card payments, this ratio should be lower than 40%. If it’s higher than this amount, your lender may not feel confident in your ability to make mortgage payments. You can use this ratio to assess if your credit card debt will hinder your ability to acquire a mortgage. The credit utilization ratio is another tool you can use to assess your chances of securing a mortgage, as it accounts for your credit card debt. Ideally, this ratio should be lower than 30%.