Consumers 'to turn to credit for the festive period'
The UK's consumers are expected to turn to credit cards to fund their plans for the festive period, according to a credit reference agency.
Callcredit has revealed that borrowing in December last year made up 60 per cent of the entire year's lending and expects a similar trend to become clear this year.
The agency has also advised customers to be responsible with their spending, check their credit reports before spending and contact lenders if they are concerned about debt in the coming months.
Commenting on using credit cards at Christmas, consumers services head Mark Ward said: "From our review of these statistics, and in spite of the widely reported credit crunch, we're still anticipating that many consumers will turn to credit at Christmas in order to fund their spending.
"Consumers need to look closely at their own borrowing habits and take control of their finances before they get into financial difficulties."
The advice from Callcredit has come after Halifax found that many Christmas shoppers could be paying £20 in interest by not choosing the best credit card deal available to them.
© 2008 Adfero Ltd
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