"Bad debt" is debt that doesn't provide something of ongoing value to the person who owes it, whether that's a place to live, a car to drive or an education. "Bad" just means it's debt that's best avoided if possible and, if you have it, should be the first debt you work on paying off.
A person is considered to have bad credit if they have a history of not paying their bills on time or owe too much money. Bad credit is often reflected as a low credit score, typically under 580 on a scale of 300 to 850. People with bad credit will find it harder to get a loan or obtain a credit card.
If you have credit card debt, you're not alone. On average, Americans carry $6,194 in credit card debt, according to the 2019 Experian Consumer Credit Review. And Alaskans have the highest credit card balance, on average $8,026.
If your total balance is more than 30% of the total credit limit, you may be in too much debt. Some experts consider it best to keep credit utilization between 1% and 10%, while anything between 11% and 30% is typically considered good.
You could end up with a debt collection lawsuit and a judgment if you don't pay your credit card bill over time.
Credit card issuers require borrowers to make a minimum monthly payment on their debt that's typically between 2% and 4% of the total balance owed, Experian reports. This means it could take more than 22 years to repay $20,000 worth of debt by making the minimum credit card payment.
How much money does the average American owe? According to a 2020 Experian study, the average American carries $92,727 in consumer debt. Consumer debt includes a variety of personal credit accounts, such as credit cards, auto loans, mortgages, personal loans, and student loans.
The average debt for individual consumers dropped from $6,194 in 2019 to $5,315 in 2020. In fact, the average balance declined in every state.
Credit Card Debt Trends
In Q4 2021, the average credit cardholder in the U.S. had $5,934 in credit card debt in Q4 2021 — about 0.6% less than Q4 2020's $5,968 average. During this same period, Americans opened 26 million more credit card accounts.
How much debt is a lot? The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recommends you keep your debt-to-income ratio below 43%. Statistically speaking, people with debts exceeding 43 percent often have trouble making their monthly payments.
The simple answer is that having minimal credit card debt is the best policy. The more complex answer: “it depends.” How much credit card debt is okay for one person may not be okay for the next – it all depends on your financial situation, your spending habits and your overall credit limits.
A 45% debt ratio is about the highest ratio you can have and still qualify for a mortgage.
Credit Card Debt
Owing money on your credit card is one of the most common types of bad debt. Credit cards are issued by lenders and allow you to make purchases on credit. These cards can come with high interest rates (often with a rate of more than 20%) and can get out of hand quickly.
Most negative items should automatically fall off your credit reports seven years from the date of your first missed payment, at which point your credit scores may start rising. But if you are otherwise using credit responsibly, your score may rebound to its starting point within three months to six years.
It's generally considered to be bad debt if you are borrowing to purchase a depreciating asset. In other words, if it won't go up in value or generate income, then you shouldn't go into debt to buy it.
A good annual income for a credit card is more than $39,000 per annum for a single individual or $63,000 per year for a household. Anything lower than that is below the median yearly earnings for Americans.
According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), experts recommend keeping your credit utilization below 30% of your total available credit. If a high utilization rate is hurting your scores, you may see your scores increase once a lower balance or higher credit limit is reported.
According to the Federal Reserve, only 45% of U.S. cardholders pay their card balance every month. Here's a closer look at the card payment numbers from the Fed: 45% always pay their card balance in full each month.
About 52% of Americans owe $2,500 or less on their credit cards. If you're looking at $5,000 or higher, you should really get motivated to knock out that debt quickly.
Kevin O'Leary, an investor on “Shark Tank” and personal finance author, said in 2018 that the ideal age to be debt-free is 45. It's at this age, said O'Leary, that you enter the last half of your career and should therefore ramp up your retirement savings in order to ensure a comfortable life in your elderly years.
Compared to 2021 standards, respondents to the 2020 survey described the threshold for wealth as being a net worth of $2.6 million.
It's Best to Pay Your Credit Card Balance in Full Each Month
Leaving a balance will not help your credit scores—it will just cost you money in the form of interest. Carrying a high balance on your credit cards has a negative impact on scores because it increases your credit utilization ratio.
You may have heard carrying a balance is beneficial to your credit score, so wouldn't it be better to pay off your debt slowly? The answer in almost all cases is no. Paying off credit card debt as quickly as possible will save you money in interest but also help keep your credit in good shape.