Fewer Still Paying Off Last Christmas

‘Tis the season to acknowledge progress!

The share of Americans who are still paying off credit card debts they ran up during the year-ago holiday has dropped for a second consecutive year.

According to an annual Consumer Reports survey, conducted during the first week in November,
7 percent of Americans still had unpaid Christmas bills left over from last year. That’s down from
10 percent in 2013 and 13 percent the year before.

One likely explanation is the drop in the U.S. unemployment rate, to 5.8 percent last month from
7 percent in November 2013. Plummeting gasoline prices have also left more cash in shoppers’ wallets. But did a lackluster Black Friday – retail sales were down a whopping 11 percent, despite the stronger job market and falling gas prices – mean something else? Are shoppers just delaying their purchases, or could this be a sign of restraint?

This holiday, the vast majority of people plan to spend the same or less than they did last year, says a poll by the Consumer Federation of America and the Credit Union National Association. And here’s a suggestion for the 2014 holidays that could also help: pay cash.