3 in 4 Aussies use credit cards to pay bills, study shows

Nearly three in four Aussies use their credit cards in order to pay for bills and weekly groceries, a new study has shown.

The research was conducted by retail giant Coles, as it looked to promote its own new plastic offering, the Herald Sun reports.

Bosses at the firm are hoping to steal a march on rival supermarkets and banks by providing customers with an updated version of its Coles MasterCard.

Those who sign up for the package will be charged $49 on an annual basis, although this fee will be waived to start with.

The card enables shoppers to build up FlyBuys loyalty points – even at stores that Coles is not associated with.

Retailers across Australia have been struggling recently, as many Aussies have been wary of totting up too much credit card debt.

Figures compiled by Veda showed that credit card applications were down by ten per cent in the three months leading up to December 31st when compared with the same period in 2010.

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