If it appears like each journey to the grocery retailer or on-line order for family necessities prices just a little greater than the final, you’re not imagining it.
Though inflation has cooled to a fee of two.7% yr over yr as of November 2025, customers have been bearing the brunt of rising costs for the previous few years. Since January 2022, for instance, meals costs elevated 18%, whereas prescription drug prices elevated 7% and attire elevated 5%.
Learn extra: CPI inflation print attracts warning from economists: ‘It’s laborious to take this knowledge critically’
These larger on a regular basis prices are forcing Individuals to tighten their budgets and lean on credit score to get by. Whole family debt elevated by $197 billion to achieve $18.59 trillion within the third quarter of 2025, in accordance with the Fed’s newest Quarterly Report on Family Debt and Credit score. Bank card balances particularly rose by $24 billion from the earlier quarter to a complete of $1.23 trillion.
“Not everybody has the identical buffer when prices go up. Decrease- and middle-income households, and particularly youthful debtors, typically carry the most important weight,” stated April Lewis-Parks, director of monetary schooling and communications at Consolidated Credit score. “With out financial savings to melt the blow, they could depend on bank cards or ‘Purchase Now, Pay Later’ choices to cowl their fundamentals.”
In line with Lewis-Parks, this reliance on credit score typically results in larger balances, faster-growing curiosity, and a higher threat of missed funds. “These are the very pressures that pressure credit score scores — however they’re challenges many individuals face, and there are methods to navigate them with help and steerage.”
Right here’s a better take a look at how the stress of rising costs can negatively affect your credit score:
As your finances will get tighter, it turns into simpler to overlook a fee due date, particularly in the event you’re juggling a number of payments.
Cost historical past is essentially the most impactful credit score rating issue, accounting for 35% of your whole rating. Even one fee that’s 30 days late can considerably harm your rating and can keep in your credit score report for seven years. Plus, you might incur further late charges.
When groceries, fuel, insurance coverage, and utilities price extra, many individuals lean on bank cards to bridge the hole. Nonetheless, that may push your credit score utilization ratio larger.
Credit score utilization measures the quantity of revolving credit score you’re utilizing in comparison with the whole quantity of credit score prolonged to you. “Quantities owed” is one other vital credit score issue that makes up 30% of your rating; the upper your credit score utilization, the extra negatively your credit score scores are impacted.
Along with bank cards, it’s possible you’ll be tempted to depend on different strategies of borrowing to cowl your necessities, corresponding to money advances, payday loans, or Purchase Now, Pay Later (BNPL) providers.
Whereas these choices could appear handy in a pinch, they typically include excessive rates of interest and hidden charges. They are often tough to pay down, and might simply lure you in a cycle of borrowing simply to get by. Plus, in the event you do handle to repay your debt, it will not be reported to the credit score bureaus and do nothing to really enhance your scores.
Learn extra: 4 methods to extend money circulate and repay debt sooner
Retaining your bank card balances inside a manageable vary is essential to creating positive that larger costs and month-to-month bank card funds don’t harm your credit score. A couple of greatest practices for smarter credit score administration embrace:
Verify your credit score stories and scores commonly
It’s robust to enhance your credit score in the event you don’t know the place you at present stand and are unaware of potential points. Catching crimson flags early might help you are taking the best steps to handle them earlier than they snowball into main issues.
You’re entitled to a free credit score report from every of the three main bureaus by way of AnnualCreditReport.com. Evaluate these month-to-month to make sure there aren’t any errors it’s good to dispute or different unfavourable marks that want consideration.
There are additionally a number of methods to test your credit score scores and observe your progress over time. (Trace: You possibly can view your VantageScore 3.0 from TransUnion without cost by signing up with My Cash.)
Since fee historical past is essentially the most vital issue affecting your credit score, one of many best methods to make sure you by no means miss a fee is to join autopay. This ensures you always remember to pay a invoice and threat damaging your credit score scores. Simply you should definitely hold a buffer of money in your checking account so that you don’t unintentionally overdraft.
The decrease your credit score utilization, the higher it’s in your credit score. So, control your balances and attempt to hold them as little as doable. Lewis-Parks advisable aiming for lower than a 30% utilization ratio, although below 10% is even higher. For instance, in case your whole obtainable credit score is $10,000, attempt to hold your balances below $3,000, and ideally, below $1,000. “Credit score scoring fashions reward that respiration room,” she stated.
Even in the event you repay your bank card in full each month, racking up a big stability beforehand can nonetheless affect your credit score. So, fairly than ready till your bank card fee due date, think about paying down the principal little by little all through the month to maintain the stability down.
For those who’re struggling to fulfill all of your obligations and are in peril of lacking a bank card or mortgage fee, the most effective factor you are able to do is attain out to your creditor as quickly as doable. Many provide hardship help, which may contain deferring curiosity, pausing funds, and/or restructuring the debt to decrease month-to-month funds till you get again in your ft.
“Greater costs are tense, and it’s simple to really feel discouraged,” Lewis-Parks stated, “however defending your credit score isn’t about being good; it’s about making a couple of constant strikes like paying on time each month, conserving balances as little as you fairly can, and utilizing credit score as a instrument as a substitute of a lifeline.”
