Today in the wallet from the Americans, on average, has 2.7 bank credit cards, 3.8 retail credit Card etail credit card (allows you to take trade credit from larger stores) and 1.1 debit cards (allows you to actually spend the available funds in the bank) – only 7.6 cards per capita. Approximately 18% of the total purchases who commits an American, he performs with credit cards. On the other kinds of plastic cards accounted for 24% of acquisitions. Usually, the preferences in the use of a particular type of payments reflected general economic situation – with increasing economic hardship, Americans prefer to pay with debit cards or cash – so it's easier to control the ratio of own revenue and expenditure and there is no need to pay for the use of credit money. However, the ease of buying something on credit becomes a 'Trojan Horse' – monthly credit accounts are often more than what an American could afford afford.

The average American household has $ 8 thousand in credit card debt. During the period from 1993 to 2002, the unpaid loan debt of U.S. households have almost doubled – from $ 4 trillion. 260 billion to $ 8 trillion. Only 454 billion in 2002, Compared with the previous year 2001, the debt grew by 10%. The lion's share of this huge amount of debt associated with buying a home – 70.3% in 1995, 67.7% in 1998, 70.7% in 2001. Other debts incurred in connection with housing problems (in particular, lease) in 2001 amounted to 6.6% (1995 – 8.2%), outstanding loans to repair homes in 2001 were equal to 1.9% of total consumer debt (in 1995 -2.0%).