If used correctly, credit cards can help you to spread out expenses month by month, earn rewards on day-to-day spending and improve your credit score. We’ve collated the latest statistics on credit card ownership and spending in the UK.
As of April 2025, there are 59.3 million credit cards in the UK, up from 58.5 million in January 2024 but down from 62.8 million in January 2021.
People spent £21.3 billion on UK credit cards in April 2025, up from a total spend of around £20.8 billion in January 2025 and almost the double the amount spent in January 2021 which was £10.7 billion. This represents a 99.2% increase from January 2021 to April 2025.
| Month | Number of credit cards | Number of debit cards |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 59,253,000 | 105,273,000 |
| 2024 | 58,462,000 | 101,678,000 |
| 2023 | 58,648,000 | 100,074,700 |
| 2022 | 59,895,000 | 96,825,000 |
| 2021 | 62,778,000 | 92,210,000 |
An estimated 36.2 million people, or 68% of UK adults, have at least one credit card in 2023, according to our 2023 survey. On average, UK residents have around 1.7 credit cards per person.
The average monthly spend on a credit card is £360, as of April 2025. This has more than doubled since January 2021, when the average monthly spend on a credit card was just £171. This further represents a 111.1% increase from January 2021.
| Month | Average monthly credit card spend |
|---|---|
| 2025 | £360 |
| 2024 | £349 |
| 2023 | £321 |
| 2022 | £270 |
| 2021 | £171 |
Approximately 12.2 million credit card transactions happen on UK cards per day, including UK holders and overseas, but the number of credit card transactions varies month-on-month.
This year, while transactions per day peaked in December 2024 (13.5 million); as of April 2025, the number of credit card transactions per day are 12.8 million. This represents a subtle 5.3% decrease from December 2024.
| Month | Number of daily credit card transactions |
|---|---|
| Apr 2025 | 12.8 million |
| Mar 2025 | 12.4 million |
| Feb 2025 | 11.9 million |
| Jan 2025 | 11.2 million |
| Dec 2024 | 13.5 million |
| Nov 2024 | 12.7 million |
| Oct 2024 | 12.4 million |
| Sep 2024 | 12.8 million |
| Aug 2024 | 12.4 million |
| Jul 2024 | 13.1 million |
| Jun 2024 | 11.9 million |
| May 2024 | 12.3 million |
| Apr 2024 | 12.5 million |
| Mar 2024 | 11.2 million |
| Feb 2024 | 11.8 million |
| Jan 2024 | 11.2 million |
The average credit card purchase value is estimated to be £56 as of April 2025.
While the overall value of transactions on credit cards has increased, so has the number of transactions, leading to just a slight increase in the average purchase value, from £55 in January 2021 to £56 in April 2025.
On average, people in the UK have 1.7 credit cards. However, the numbers vary drastically from person to person. According to external research, more than a quarter of Brits (26%) have 3 to 4 cards. Some Brits don’t have a credit card at all!
According to our 2023 survey, 25-34 year-olds are most likely to have a credit card, with three-quarters (75%) of this age group owning one. They are closely followed by 18-24 year-olds, where 74% own a credit card.
Interestingly, those who are aged 45-54 are least likely to have a credit card, as less than two-thirds of this age group (63%) own one.
Those who are younger tend to have a less developed credit history, so more young people may be acquiring credit cards so that they can build their credit score.
Men are more likely to have a credit card than women, with around 7 in 10 men (71%) owning one compared to 65% of women.
Matt Mckenna
UK Head of Communications
T: +44 20 8191 8806
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