Most credit card holders are keeping up with payments, but that doesn’t mean they’re comfortable. The spring 2026 FICO Credit Score Insights report shows credit card delinquency rates have been stable since April 2024, even as balances, interest rates and utilization are high. Making minimum payments keeps you out of delinquency. It doesn’t mean you’re getting ahead.
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Credit Card Borrowers Are Keeping Up for Now
The FICO report shows that credit card delinquency rates have been stable since April 2024, with:
— 30-day-plus delinquency rate: 11.7%
— 60-day-plus rate: 8.4%
— 90-day-plus rate: 6.9%
The average cardholder in October 2022 had a balance around $6,500 and credit utilization of 32%. By October 2025, that grew to about a $7,600 average balance and 36% utilization rate.
Even with slightly more debt, missed payments haven’t risen, suggesting cardholders are managing higher balances. But keeping up with payments isn’t the same as paying down debt.
“While stable credit card delinquency rates suggest broad consumer resilience, aggregate data obscures significant underlying risks,” says David Sojka, senior advisor at Equifax. Super-prime consumers may be bringing up national averages, Sojka says, as lower-score consumers are more vulnerable to inflation and high borrowing costs.
Staying Current Doesn’t Mean Fine
Avoiding delinquency looks good from the outside, but accounts may not be stable.
“Many borrowers are still making the minimum payments on their credit cards to avoid becoming delinquent, even as balances continue to grow,” says Leslie H. Tayne, finance and debt expert and founder of Tayne Law Group. “The credit system is designed to keep you out of delinquency, but that doesn’t mean you are making meaningful progress on repaying the debt you owe.”
The FICO report shows missed payments have leveled off, but not whether cardholders are paying down debt or relying on cards for basic expenses. Many cardholders look stable on paper even when they are under pressure, says Ashley F. Morgan, a debt and bankruptcy lawyer in Virginia.
“Being current means that minimum payments are being made, even if balances are increasing or you are paying payments by incurring new debt,” says Morgan. “A lot of households are still technically staying current because they are only making minimum payments, using savings, working extra jobs, relying on balance transfers or carrying balances month after month without actually reducing the debt meaningfully.”
Some cardholders may be prioritizing credit card payments to protect their credit scores. That keeps accounts current to avoid delinquency, but minimum payments don’t solve the problem of interest charges or new spending that keeps balances high.
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High Balances Leave Little Room for Error
Carrying a heavy balance gets more expensive when interest rates are high. More of your payment goes toward interest instead of reducing your balance, so balances stay elevated even when you make payments each month.
If your balance barely moves even when you’re making payments each month, maintaining credit card payments may leave less room in your budget for emergencies, job loss or other financial shocks. And if you have little to no emergency savings, depending on available credit to get by, high rates can make you more vulnerable.
“I regularly see clients with interest rates approaching 30%. At those rates, a person can make substantial monthly payments and still barely reduce the principal balance,” says Morgan. “The higher the interest rate, the less flexibility people have when an unexpected expense occurs.”
With limited flexibility, cardholders who are current today could quickly fall behind if their budget depends on nothing going wrong. A high credit card balance could turn into a delinquency risk after an emergency expense, income drop or reduced credit limit.
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Credit Card Debt Warning Signs
Warning signs usually appear before you miss a payment, such as making payments each month while your balance doesn’t move.
“If balances are staying flat or increasing while someone is making large monthly payments, that usually means interest and ongoing spending are overwhelming the repayment effort,” says Morgan.
Other signs of trouble include getting close to maxing out cards, repeatedly moving balances, taking cash advances or draining savings to stay current. Be cautious if your repayment plan requires perfection.
“If repayment depends on nothing going wrong financially for the next several years, the plan probably is not sustainable,” says Morgan.
Managing High Credit Card Balances
Sojka recommends taking the debt avalanche approach to paying off high credit card balances, prioritizing your highest-interest debt first while you make minimum payments on all other accounts.
If your credit card balance has become difficult to manage, take action before you miss a payment. Consider these steps:
— Limit or eliminate new charges on cards with a balance.
— Look for ways to pay more than the minimum.
— Contact your credit card issuer to ask for a lower rate or payment plan.
— Consider a balance transfer or debt consolidation loan to lower interest costs.
— Work with a nonprofit credit counselor or debt attorney if debt payments don’t fit your budget.
“Delinquency numbers alone do not fully capture financial stress,” says Morgan. “Many households are still current, but they are exhausted financially, carrying significant anxiety and operating with very little room for error.”
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Even With High Balances, Credit Card Delinquencies Are Stable originally appeared on usnews.com
