Why now is a crucial time to pay off credit card debt

By CORA LEWIS
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — For Americans who lacked savings prior to the pandemic, financial stress is rising. A combination of inflation, increased interest rates, and the end of pandemic-tied relief, such as the moratorium on student loan payments, has led to record credit card debt, experts say, with rising and worrying delinquencies. As of December, 3.1% of outstanding debt was in some stage of delinquency, up by 0.1 percentage point from the third quarter of 2023. according to the latest data from the New York Federal Reserve. Those with ballooning credit card debt should ask their credit card company for a lower rate and try to pay off the cards that charge them the most to borrow first, among other steps.