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There are 14,088,998 credit cards in Australia as of May 2020, netting a national debt accruing interest of $23 billion. For many Australians, managing credit and debt through credit cards is a common element of their day-to-day money habits, while for others a few bad mistakes have resulted in a downward debt spiral. But what does the state of Australia's credit card debt actually look like?
According to the finder.com.au June 2016 survey, 70.19% of Australian adults own a credit card.
The table below depicts the average number of accounts per year, the total number of purchases and total purchase spend nationally, the average balance per card and the proportion of that balance accruing interest.
| Year | Average number of accounts | Total purchases | Total purchase spend | Average balance per card | Average balance costing interest per card |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 6,746,697 | 222,868,506 | $20,597,739,000 | $874 | N/A |
| 1996 | 7,171,681 | 255,926,530 | $24,078,698,000 | $972 | N/A |
| 1997 | 7,661,050 | 306,538,311 | $29,762,529,000 | $1,035 | N/A |
| 1998 | 8,107,751 | 398,763,305 | $39,470,829,551 | $1,147 | N/A |
| 1999 | 8,561,463 | 525,309,976 | $53,128,809,000 | $1,306 | N/A |
| 2000 | 9,186,426 | 649,922,261 | $68,453,965,000 | $1,504 | N/A |
| 2001 | 9,599,600 | 759,148,482 | $83,115,641,870 | $1,725 | N/A |
| 2002 | 10,282,275 | 947,767,228 | $116,664,397,888 | $2,103 | $631 |
| 2003 | 10,575,967 | 1,031,336,591 | $130,440,292,840 | $2,312 | $1,651 |
| 2004 | 11,252,849 | 1,128,383,286 | $146,820,781,569 | $2,460 | $1,740 |
| 2005 | 12,024,453 | 1,190,060,674 | $158,069,300,586 | $2,616 | $1,864 |
| 2006 | 12,936,118 | 1,272,931,471 | $173,858,692,493 | $2,808 | $2,025 |
| 2007 | 13,587,881 | 1,352,394,063 | $192,242,080,255 | $2,988 | $2,153 |
| 2008 | 14,009,657 | 1,419,498,599 | $207,261,032,164 | $3,117 | $2,246 |
| 2009 | 14,325,362 | 1,480,775,018 | $214,328,417,751 | $3,137 | $2,275 |
| 2010 | 14,642,249 | 1,572,957,315 | $228,361,716,728 | $3,255 | $2,378 |
| 2011 | 14,892,280 | 1,662,483,739 | $239,519,644,050 | $3,301 | $2,430 |
| 2012 | 15,076,723 | 1,775,592,807 | $250,772,348,072 | $3,301 | $2,404 |
| 2013 | 15,381,723 | 1,916,774,355 | $262,483,543,475 | $3,221 | $2,243 |
| 2014 | 15,580,233 | 2,072,287,892 | $277,821,174,277 | $3,216 | $2,141 |
| 2015 | 16,130,654 | 2,261,954,681 | $292,004,583,824 | $3,162 | $2,012 |
| 2016 | 16,616,899 | 2,485,845,816 | $302,791,702,116 | $3,115 | $1,953 |
| 2017 | 16,719,055 | 2,690,396,502 | $316,346,748,192 | $3,108 | $1,922 |
| 2018 | 16,160,256 | 2,853,596,452 | $326,618,113,078 | $3,219 | $1,999 |
| 2019 | 15,443,821 | 2,985,010,219 | $333,721,838,132 | $3,264 | $1,969 |
* The credit card offers compared on this page are chosen from a range of credit cards finder.com.au has access to track details from and is not representative of all the products available in the market. Products are displayed in no particular order or ranking. The use of terms 'Best' and 'Top' are not product ratings and are subject to our disclaimer. You should consider seeking independent financial advice and consider your own personal financial circumstances when comparing cards.
Hi,
I was wondering if you could please tell me 3 pros and 3 cons of owning a credit card.
Hi Elli,
Thank you for getting in touch with finder.
These are some of the pros of credit cards:
1. Flexibility. Credit cards allow the customer to avoid having to carry large amounts of cash around. They are perfect for those occasions when an unexpected purchase becomes necessary, and sufficient cash is not available. They also allow for quick and simple phone and internet transactions.
2. Safety. When cash is lost or stolen, there may be no way of recovering it. If your credit card is lost or stolen, the card will be replaced, and your maximum liability for fraudulent use is limited by law to $50. However, Visa, Mastercard and American Express all operate zero-liability policies so that the customer is not liable for even a single cent.
3. Spending power. Credit limits on credit cards often mean that customers can purchase large goods straight away that they would normally have to save up for over many months.
These are some of the cons of credit cards:
1. Overspending. When talking about the pros and cons of credit cards, this is the classic downside. Some individuals can get easily carried away with their credit card, creating a debt that is beyond their means to pay off. Credit cards should not be seen as having access to “free money”. In fact, once the interest starts kicking in, you will end up paying more than the purchase price of your goods.
2. Multitasking. A credit card should be used for just one task. If it has a good rate for purchases, then it should be reserved for that. If a balance transfer is made to a credit card, then it should be used for nothing else. Problems arise when customers think it’s okay to carry out both these transactions on their credit card simultaneously. This creates a conflict of interest – literally. The lower interest debt is always paid off first, which means the higher interest purchases will keep accruing interest untouched by your repayments.
3. False sense of security. Covering everyday purchases on a credit card can lead customers to believe they have more cash available than they really do. Having cash in your pocket must be logically balanced by the level of your credit card debt. If your credit card debt is building, your ready cash should be set aside to cover it at the end of the month.
These are the main pros and cons to be aware of with credit card ownership. Remember that owning a credit card means you are involved in a legally-binding contract, so you need to make sure you are playing a straight game.
You may also want to read the benefits and disadvantages of having a credit card by checking out this page.
I hope this helps.
Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any other enquiries.
Thank you and have a wonderful day!
Cheers,
Jeni
Hi – I’d like to know what amount the average Australian is paying off on their credit card each month. The monetary amount not the percentage. Is this something you have? Thank you
Hi Catherine,
Thank you for getting in touch with finder.
The level of credit card debt can go up or down depending on what the trend is on a monthly basis. As per this page, the average credit card purchase as of February this year is at $118.97.
Information we have on this page is from the RBA. You may also want to read more about credit card debt on this page.
I hope this helps.
Have a great day!
Cheers,
Jeni
Can you advise what % of total Australian credit cards and the related purchase value is transacted with a MasterCard please and what % is spent on holidays and travel?
Hi Graham,
Thanks for your question.
Unfortunately, we don’t have the information you are looking for. What we do have is the overall number of purchases using all types of Australian credit cards and debit cards as shown above this page.
Kind regards,
Rench
Hi,
Great website!
How many credit card transactions are done per year with no credit card present, ie. over the Internet, phone etc, people just entering in the numbers digitally?
Thanks!
Roland
Hi Roland,
Thanks for your question.
Unfortunately, we don’t have the information you are looking for. What we do have is the overall (with and without card) average usage of each cardholder which is 13 per month and 159 per year.
Cheers,
Anndy
The staff reply to Roland about the number of transactions per cardholder gives a figure of an average of 159 credit card transactions per year. That appears to correspond to the year 2016. And I think it only covers purchase transactions, excluding payment transactions. Where by payment transaction I mean the cardholder paying off some or all money owed on the card.
What I notice is that back in 1995, twenty years ago, cardholders only appear to have been using credit cards about an average of 30 times per year, and by 2016 that figure of 30 has grown to 159.
159 – 30 = 129. 129 is about 2½ purchases per week that are now charged through credit cards, but were not charged through credit cards twenty years ago.
Over the same twenty year period, the number of cards on issue has grown from about 50% of the Australian adult population to about 100% of the Australian adult population (but with some having more than one card and others no credit card). Meanwhile bank profitabilities have generally quadrupled.
Thanks. I think this corroborates the conception that wealth was being concentrated in fewer hands over the course of the twenty years.
Hi there,
I was wondering- do you have an stats for how many Australians are now choosing to pay by card? (debit, eftpos, credit, etc)
Hi Sam,
Thank you for your question.
I’m afraid we do not have that information available. You may try checking with Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) and the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA).
Cheers,
May
Hi, I was wondering how many new credit cards are approved each month? Or perhaps the average churn rate pa on Credit Cards.
Hi Luke,
Thanks for your inquiry.
I’m afraid we do not have that information available, but you may try checking with Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) and Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA).
Hope that helps.
Cheers,
May
How many consumer credit card applications are made a year?
Hi Hamish, thanks for your inquiry!
Please note that finder.com.au is a comparison service, it may be best to check with official statistical agencies such as the Australian Bureau of Statistics for this inquiry.
Cheers,
Jonathan
How much does the average australian spend, a month, on debit card transactions.
I have found the statistics for credit card but not for debit card transactions.
Thank you
Hi Greg, thanks for your inquiry!
Unfortunately the household debt report by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) does not include the average amount for debit card transactions. It would be best to contact the ABS directly for more information/statistics on this measure.
Cheers,
Jonathan
How many 18-25 year-old Australians have a credit card?
Hi Lee. Sorry, these statistics are not available to us. Try the Reserve Bank of Australia. They publish credit card and charge card statistics.
Jacob.