More Australians relying on credit for household bills

Two thirds of Australians rely on credit cards to pay for house hold bills, while men are more likely to "pull out the plastic to pay for bills", according to a credit card comparison website.

Finder.com.au said that trend pushed credit card debt to $51.7 billion in March, up from $50.9 billion in January.

Creditcardfinder.com.au money expert, Bessie Hassan, said they surveyed 1,022 Australians and found that while the majority (77 per cent) had means to pay off their credit cards each month, 23 per cent had "credit debt hanging over their heads with utility and insurance bills putting more pressure on debt-ridden families".

For some it's a way to "keep their services connected", while others preferred "to pay for bills using credit cards to earn rewards or frequent flyers points", she said.

"Four million people who are unable to pay for these bills" relied on "credit cards to get them out of trouble. But it's a short-term solution that can lead to long term pain", Hassan said.

She said people should not be getting into debt for everyday bills.

"If you are, you need to evaluate what other areas of your life you can cut back on...or find better deals to cut down bills," Hassan said.

New South Wales bill payers preferred to use their cards the most (30 per cent), followed by Victoria (25 per cent) and Queensland (22 per cent), finder.com.au found.

Half of those on the lowest income bracket (under $50,000 per annum) (47 per cent) paid for bills using credit cards, while "Baby Boomers" (46 per cent) also preferred plastic, followed by "Generation X" (34 per cent).