{"id":1004652,"date":"2026-09-21T04:03:03","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T08:03:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/uk-consumers-rein-in-credit-card-spending-in-july-but-balances-hit-record-high-for-second-month\/"},"modified":"2026-09-21T04:03:03","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T08:03:03","slug":"uk-consumers-rein-in-credit-card-spending-in-july-but-balances-hit-record-high-for-second-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/uk-consumers-rein-in-credit-card-spending-in-july-but-balances-hit-record-high-for-second-month\/","title":{"rendered":"UK Consumers Rein In Credit Card Spending in July but Balances Hit Record High for Second Month"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>        <!--.bwalignc { text-align: center; list-style-position: inside }\n.bwblockalignl { margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto }\n.bwcellpmargin { margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px }\n.bwleftsingle { border-left: solid black 1pt }\n.bwlistdisc { list-style-type: disc }\n.bwpadb3 { padding-bottom: 4px }\n.bwpadl0 { padding-left: 0px }\n.bwpadr0 { padding-right: 0px }\n.bwrightsingle { border-right: solid black 1pt }\n.bwsinglebottom { border-bottom: solid black 1pt }\n.bwtablemarginb { margin-bottom: 10px }\n.bwuline { text-decoration: underline }\n.bwvertalignb { vertical-align: bottom }\n.bwvertalignt { vertical-align: top }\n.bwwidth100 { width: 100% }\n.bwwidth18 { width: 18% }\n.bwwidth46 { width: 46% }body {font:normal small Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#000;background-color:#fff;padding:24px;margin:0;} a img {border:0;} h3 {font-size:medium;color:#000;margin:0 0 1em 0; text-align:center;}-->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"bwalignc\"><b>UK Consumers Rein In Credit Card Spending in July but Balances Hit Record High for Second Month<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"bwalignc\"><i>FICO UK Credit Card Market Report for July 2026 underlines need for vigilance by risk teams as affordability rules of new BNPL regulations could shift more spending onto cards<\/i><\/p>\n<p>LONDON&#8211;(<a href=\"http:\/\/www.businesswire.com\">BUSINESS WIRE<\/a>)&#8211;<br \/>\nAfter an increase in spending on credit cards in June, data analysis by global analytics software leader <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/cts.businesswire.com\/ct\/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fico.com%2F&amp;esheet=54606065&amp;newsitemid=20260921393022&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=FICO&amp;index=1&amp;md5=2a34b503f0d78953aae27b2176c3a702\">FICO <\/a>(NYSE: FICO) shows a drop in July. However, despite lower spending, the average active balance climbed to a new record high for the second consecutive month. With payment rates displaying a modest month-on-month recovery but remaining below last year&#8217;s levels, and late payments continuing to deteriorate year-on-year, risk teams will need to retain heightened monitoring.<\/p>\n<p>\nThe consequences of the new FCA regulation for the Buy Now Pay Later sector, introduced on 15<sup>th<\/sup> July 2026, could also see a shift in spending to credit cards, which could put some modest upward pressure on average active balances over the coming months.<\/p>\n<p><b>Highlights<\/b><\/p>\n<ul class=\"bwlistdisc\">\n<li>\nAverage spending fell 2% month-on-month to \u00a3815.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\nAverage active balance increased by 0.4% month-on-month to \u00a31,980, reaching a record high for the second consecutive month and remaining 4.7% higher year-on-year.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\nAfter falling in June, the percentage of overall balance paid rose by 0.9% month-on-month to 33.6%.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\nThe percentage of customers missing one payment increased by 11.5% month-on-month, while average balances for these accounts remained flat at \u00a32,495, but is 4.6% higher year-on-year.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\nThere was a marginal increase of 0.7% in the percentage of customers missing two payments, but this is still 11% higher year-on-year \u2013 although the average balance decreased by 0.7% month-on-month to \u00a32,930.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\nAccounts with three missed payments rose by 9.6% month-on-month, and 16% year-on-year, with balances increasing by 1.5% month-on-month to \u00a33,310.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\nAverage credit limits increased to \u00a35,995, remaining 2.1% higher than the previous year, although overlimit accounts decreased by 3.4% month-on-month.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b><span class=\"bwuline\">FICO Comment:<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<p>\nThere were some encouraging signs in July 2026, relative to recent months. However, record-high average active balances and continued year-on-year late payment deterioration across all three cycles confirm that affordability pressures are very real concerns for UK consumers. Moderation in year-on-year balance growth for two- and three-cycle delinquent accounts, combined with overlimit accounts running almost flat year-on-year, suggests that while more customers are falling into arrears, those already in the most severe stages of delinquency are not seeing their balances escalate as rapidly as previously.<\/p>\n<p>\nRisk teams should continue to focus on early intervention for the growing one-month missed payment customers, as well as monitor the balance patterns for accounts with three missed payments.<\/p>\n<p>\nOther factors that should be monitored by risk teams include the possible consequences of the new FCA regulation for the Buy Now Pay Later sector, requiring firms to carry out an affordability assessment before extending credit. The new checks may see some customers declined, who would previously have been accepted for BNPL. Where these customers also hold a credit card, spending is likely to shift onto that card.<\/p>\n<p>\nSeparately, recent research by StepChange found that around eight million UK adults find keeping up with their credit card repayments a large burden every month, while around five million have recently used a credit card to pay for essential household bills such as food, energy or fuel. Alongside July&#8217;s record balances and persistent late payment growth, this indicates that a meaningful segment of cardholders is already leaning on credit to manage day-to-day essentials.<\/p>\n<p>\nRisk teams should consider both dynamics when calibrating affordability assessments and collections strategies over the coming months.<\/p>\n<table cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"bwtablemarginb bwblockalignl bwwidth100\">\n<tr>\n<td class=\"bwpadl0\" colspan=\"4\" rowspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwcellpmargin\"><b>Key Trend Indicators \u2013 UK Cards July 2026<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"bwpadl0 bwsinglebottom\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\" \/>\n<td class=\"bwpadl0 bwsinglebottom\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\" \/>\n<td class=\"bwpadl0 bwsinglebottom\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\" \/>\n<td class=\"bwpadl0 bwsinglebottom\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\u00a0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"bwvertalignt bwsinglebottom bwleftsingle bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwwidth46\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwcellpmargin\"><b>Metric<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"bwvertalignt bwsinglebottom bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwwidth18\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwalignc bwcellpmargin\"><b>Amount<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"bwvertalignt bwsinglebottom bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwwidth18\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwalignc bwcellpmargin\"><b>Month-on-Month<br \/>\n<\/b><br \/><b>Change<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"bwvertalignt bwsinglebottom bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwwidth18\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwalignc bwcellpmargin\"><b>Year-on-Year<br \/>\n<br \/>Change<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"bwvertalignt bwsinglebottom bwleftsingle bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwwidth46\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwcellpmargin\">\nAverage UK Credit Card Spend<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"bwsinglebottom bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwpadr0 bwvertalignb bwpadb3 bwalignc bwwidth18\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwcellpmargin bwalignc\">\n\u00a3815<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"bwsinglebottom bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwpadr0 bwvertalignb bwpadb3 bwalignc bwwidth18\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwcellpmargin bwalignc\">\n-2.0%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"bwvertalignt bwsinglebottom bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwwidth18\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwalignc bwcellpmargin\">\n+1.8%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"bwvertalignt bwsinglebottom bwleftsingle bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwwidth46\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwcellpmargin\">\nAverage Card Balance<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"bwsinglebottom bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwpadr0 bwvertalignb bwpadb3 bwalignc bwwidth18\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwcellpmargin bwalignc\">\n\u00a31,980<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"bwvertalignt bwsinglebottom bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwwidth18\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwalignc bwcellpmargin\">\n+0.4%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"bwvertalignt bwsinglebottom bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwwidth18\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwalignc bwcellpmargin\">\n+4.7%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"bwvertalignt bwsinglebottom bwleftsingle bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwwidth46\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwcellpmargin\">\nPercentage of Payments to Balance<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"bwsinglebottom bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwpadr0 bwvertalignb bwpadb3 bwalignc bwwidth18\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwcellpmargin bwalignc\">\n33.6%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"bwvertalignt bwsinglebottom bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwwidth18\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwalignc bwcellpmargin\">\n+0.9%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"bwsinglebottom bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwpadr0 bwvertalignb bwpadb3 bwalignc bwwidth18\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwcellpmargin bwalignc\">\n-3.6%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"bwvertalignt bwsinglebottom bwleftsingle bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwwidth46\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwcellpmargin\">\nAccounts with One Missed Payment<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"bwsinglebottom bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwpadr0 bwvertalignb bwpadb3 bwalignc bwwidth18\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwcellpmargin bwalignc\">\n1.5%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"bwvertalignt bwsinglebottom bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwwidth18\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwalignc bwcellpmargin\">\n+11.5%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"bwvertalignt bwsinglebottom bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwwidth18\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwalignc bwcellpmargin\">\n+9.1%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"bwvertalignt bwsinglebottom bwleftsingle bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwwidth46\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwcellpmargin\">\nAccounts with Two Missed Payments<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"bwsinglebottom bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwpadr0 bwvertalignb bwpadb3 bwalignc bwwidth18\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwcellpmargin bwalignc\">\n0.3%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"bwvertalignt bwsinglebottom bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwwidth18\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwalignc bwcellpmargin\">\n+0.7%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"bwvertalignt bwsinglebottom bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwwidth18\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwalignc bwcellpmargin\">\n+11.0%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"bwvertalignt bwsinglebottom bwleftsingle bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwwidth46\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwcellpmargin\">\nAccounts with Three Missed Payments<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"bwsinglebottom bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwpadr0 bwvertalignb bwpadb3 bwalignc bwwidth18\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwcellpmargin bwalignc\">\n0.2%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"bwvertalignt bwsinglebottom bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwwidth18\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwalignc bwcellpmargin\">\n+9.6%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"bwvertalignt bwsinglebottom bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwwidth18\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwalignc bwcellpmargin\">\n+16.0%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"bwvertalignt bwsinglebottom bwleftsingle bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwwidth46\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwcellpmargin\">\nAverage Credit Limit<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"bwsinglebottom bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwpadr0 bwvertalignb bwpadb3 bwalignc bwwidth18\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwcellpmargin bwalignc\">\n\u00a35,995<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"bwvertalignt bwsinglebottom bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwwidth18\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwalignc bwcellpmargin\">\n+0.2%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"bwvertalignt bwsinglebottom bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwwidth18\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwalignc bwcellpmargin\">\n+2.1%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"bwvertalignt bwsinglebottom bwleftsingle bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwwidth46\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwcellpmargin\">\nAverage Overlimit Spend<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"bwsinglebottom bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwpadr0 bwvertalignb bwpadb3 bwalignc bwwidth18\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwcellpmargin bwalignc\">\n\u00a395<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"bwvertalignt bwsinglebottom bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwwidth18\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwalignc bwcellpmargin\">\n+2.1%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"bwvertalignt bwsinglebottom bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwwidth18\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwalignc bwcellpmargin\">\n+5.5%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"bwvertalignt bwsinglebottom bwleftsingle bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwwidth46\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwcellpmargin\">\nCash Sales as a % of Total Sales<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"bwsinglebottom bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwpadr0 bwvertalignb bwpadb3 bwalignc bwwidth18\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwcellpmargin bwalignc\">\n0.8%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"bwvertalignt bwsinglebottom bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwwidth18\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwalignc bwcellpmargin\">\n+0.6%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"bwsinglebottom bwrightsingle bwpadl0 bwpadr0 bwvertalignb bwpadb3 bwalignc bwwidth18\" rowspan=\"1\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwcellpmargin bwalignc\">\n-2.4%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"bwpadl0\" colspan=\"4\" rowspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"bwcellpmargin\"><b>Source: FICO<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<p>\nThese card performance figures are part of the data shared with subscribers of the FICO\u00ae Benchmark Reporting Service. The data sample comes from client reports generated by the <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/cts.businesswire.com\/ct\/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fico.com%2Fen%2Fproducts%2Ffico-triad-customer-manager&amp;esheet=54606065&amp;newsitemid=20260921393022&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=FICO%26%23174%3B+TRIAD%26%23174%3B+Customer+Manager&amp;index=2&amp;md5=0c87cac14c92dba875b72db0294dddd1\"><b>FICO<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> TRIAD<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> Customer Manager<\/b><\/a> solution in use by some 80% of UK card issuers. For more information on these trends, contact FICO.<\/p>\n<p><b>About FICO<\/b><\/p>\n<p>\nFICO (NYSE: FICO) powers decisions that help people and businesses around the world prosper. Founded in 1956, the company is a pioneer in the use of predictive analytics and data science to improve operational decisions. FICO holds more than 200 US and foreign patents on technologies that increase profitability, customer satisfaction and growth for businesses in financial services, insurance, telecommunications, health care, retail and many other industries. Using FICO solutions, businesses in more than 80 countries do everything from protecting 4 billion payment cards from fraud, to improving financial inclusion, to increasing supply chain resiliency. The FICO\u00ae Score, used by 90% of top US lenders, is the standard measure of consumer credit risk in the US and has been made available in over 40 other countries, improving risk management, credit access and transparency. Learn more at <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/cts.businesswire.com\/ct\/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fico.com%2F&amp;esheet=54606065&amp;newsitemid=20260921393022&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=www.fico.com&amp;index=3&amp;md5=347d505036a84c1b852e96d351c7baf6\">www.fico.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\nFICO and TRIAD are registered trademarks of Fair Isaac Corporation in the United States and other countries.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cts.businesswire.com\/ct\/CT?id=bwnews&amp;sty=20260921393022r1&amp;sid=flmnd&amp;distro=nx&amp;lang=en\" style=\"width:0;height:0\" \/><span class=\"bwct31415\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"mmgallerylink\"><span id=\"mmgallerylink-phrase\">View source version on businesswire.com: <\/span><span id=\"mmgallerylink-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.businesswire.com\/news\/home\/20260921393022\/en\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/www.businesswire.com\/news\/home\/20260921393022\/en\/<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><i>For further press information please contact:<br \/>\n<\/i><\/b><br \/><b>FICO UK PR Team<br \/>\n<\/b><br \/>Wendy Harrison\/Matthew Enderby<br \/>\n<br \/><a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"mailto:ficoteam@harrisonsadler.com\">ficoteam@harrisonsadler.com<br \/>\n<\/a><br \/>0208 977 9132<\/p>\n<p><b>KEYWORDS:<\/b> Europe Ireland United Kingdom<\/p>\n<p><b>INDUSTRY KEYWORDS:<\/b> Professional Services Data Management Data Analytics Technology Software Finance Banking<\/p>\n<p><b>MEDIA:<\/b><\/p>\n<table cellpadding=\"3\" cellspacing=\"3\">\n<tr>\n<td><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><b>Logo<\/b><\/font><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mms.businesswire.com\/media\/20260921393022\/en\/2329913\/3\/fico-logo-coreblue-large.jpg\" alt=\"Logo\" \/><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><\/font><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>UK Consumers Rein In Credit Card Spending in July but Balances Hit Record High for Second Month FICO UK Credit Card Market Report for July 2026 underlines need for vigilance by risk teams as affordability rules of new BNPL regulations could shift more spending onto cards LONDON&#8211;(BUSINESS WIRE)&#8211; After an increase in spending on credit cards in June, data analysis by global analytics software leader FICO (NYSE: FICO) shows a drop in July. However, despite lower spending, the average active balance climbed to a new record high for the second consecutive month. With payment rates displaying a modest month-on-month recovery but remaining below last year&#8217;s levels, and late payments continuing to deteriorate year-on-year, risk teams will need to retain heightened &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/uk-consumers-rein-in-credit-card-spending-in-july-but-balances-hit-record-high-for-second-month\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;UK Consumers Rein In Credit Card Spending in July but Balances Hit Record High for Second Month&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1004652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>UK Consumers Rein In Credit Card Spending in July but Balances Hit Record High for Second Month - Market Newsdesk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/uk-consumers-rein-in-credit-card-spending-in-july-but-balances-hit-record-high-for-second-month\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UK Consumers Rein In Credit Card Spending in July but Balances Hit Record High for Second Month - Market Newsdesk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"UK Consumers Rein In Credit Card Spending in July but Balances Hit Record High for Second Month FICO UK Credit Card Market Report for July 2026 underlines need for vigilance by risk teams as affordability rules of new BNPL regulations could shift more spending onto cards LONDON&#8211;(BUSINESS WIRE)&#8211; After an increase in spending on credit cards in June, data analysis by global analytics software leader FICO (NYSE: FICO) shows a drop in July. However, despite lower spending, the average active balance climbed to a new record high for the second consecutive month. With payment rates displaying a modest month-on-month recovery but remaining below last year&#8217;s levels, and late payments continuing to deteriorate year-on-year, risk teams will need to retain heightened &hellip; Continue reading &quot;UK Consumers Rein In Credit Card Spending in July but Balances Hit Record High for Second Month&quot;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/uk-consumers-rein-in-credit-card-spending-in-july-but-balances-hit-record-high-for-second-month\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Market Newsdesk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-09-21T08:03:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cts.businesswire.com\/ct\/CT?id=bwnews&amp;sty=20260921393022r1&amp;sid=flmnd&amp;distro=nx&amp;lang=en\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Newsdesk\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Newsdesk\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\\\/index.php\\\/uk-consumers-rein-in-credit-card-spending-in-july-but-balances-hit-record-high-for-second-month\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\\\/index.php\\\/uk-consumers-rein-in-credit-card-spending-in-july-but-balances-hit-record-high-for-second-month\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Newsdesk\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/482f27a394d4fda80ecb5499e519d979\"},\"headline\":\"UK Consumers Rein In Credit Card Spending in July but Balances Hit Record High for Second Month\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-21T08:03:03+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\\\/index.php\\\/uk-consumers-rein-in-credit-card-spending-in-july-but-balances-hit-record-high-for-second-month\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":889,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\\\/index.php\\\/uk-consumers-rein-in-credit-card-spending-in-july-but-balances-hit-record-high-for-second-month\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cts.businesswire.com\\\/ct\\\/CT?id=bwnews&amp;sty=20260921393022r1&amp;sid=flmnd&amp;distro=nx&amp;lang=en\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\\\/index.php\\\/uk-consumers-rein-in-credit-card-spending-in-july-but-balances-hit-record-high-for-second-month\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\\\/index.php\\\/uk-consumers-rein-in-credit-card-spending-in-july-but-balances-hit-record-high-for-second-month\\\/\",\"name\":\"UK Consumers Rein In Credit Card Spending in July but Balances Hit Record High for Second Month - 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