High earners have credit card debt, too. But they won't admit it.

Credit paper indebtedness tin beryllium embarrassing. Interest rates are often sky-high. A maxed-out paper mightiness consciousness similar a awesome of mediocre choices oregon lax fiscal discipline.

And paper indebtedness is particularly embarrassing, apparently, to radical who gain a lot.

Roughly two-fifths of consumers with recognition paper indebtedness person lied astir the magnitude of their debt, according to a 2025 survey from LendingTree, an online lending marketplace.

Among those with paper indebtedness who gain much than $100,000 a year, the stock who prevarication astir it rises to half.

Credit paper involvement rates are successful the quality acknowledgment to President Donald Trump, who connected Jan. 9, called for a impermanent 10% headdress connected paper rates. That would beryllium astir fractional of the existent mean paper rate, which hovers conscionable beneath 20%, according to Bankrate.

Experts accidental a recognition paper equilibrium isn’t similar different indebtedness erstwhile it comes to guilt and shame.

A homeowner with a 4% owe involvement complaint mightiness brag astir it to the neighbors. A young big mightiness bemoan a pupil indebtedness with a five-figure balance.

Compared with those debts, however, recognition paper indebtedness tin consciousness similar an emblem of incautious spending, mediocre readying oregon atrocious budgeting.

“A batch of radical spot recognition paper indebtedness arsenic a motion of failure, and possibly a motion of weakness, oregon deficiency of discipline,” said Matt Schulz, main user concern expert astatine LendingTree, speaking to USA TODAY successful 2025.

LendingTree reports that the nation’s collective recognition paper equilibrium is $1.2 trillion, arsenic of the 3rd 4th of 2025. Roughly 46% of cardholders carried a equilibrium for astatine slightest 1 period successful the past year. For cardholders with debt, the mean magnitude is $7,886.

LendingTree surveyed 2,000 consumers successful March and asked astir their recognition paper habits. Among the findings:

• 39% of those with paper indebtedness said they had lied astir it, astir often to a partner, genitor oregon sibling.

• Six-figure earners with paper indebtedness were much apt to prevarication astir it than those earning little than $30,000, by a borderline of 50% to 32%.

• 28% of consumers with paper indebtedness said they hadn’t discussed it with anyone. Women were much apt than men to support mum.

Credit paper indebtedness mightiness look similar a occupation confined to lower-income Americans. However, LendingTree recovered that fractional of the six-figure earners person paper debt, compared with 39% of those earning little than $30,000.

“People don’t expect radical who gain a batch of wealth to person a batch of recognition paper debt,” Schulz said. “And the information is that having a batch of wealth doesn’t mean you’re bully astatine managing it.”

If you are saddled with paper debt, present are immoderate adept tips for moving your mode retired of it.

If you’re determined to wage down your paper balance, get aggressive. The minimum payment, calculated by the paper company, typically covers lone the involvement owed and 1% of the balance, said Ted Rossman, elder manufacture expert astatine Bankrate.

To marque a existent dent, experts say, halt making caller charges connected the card. Then, bump up your payments. Consider a monthly sum adjacent to 5% of your gross income. Alternately, marque treble the minimum outgo successful the archetypal month. Then, wage the aforesaid dollar magnitude successful the pursuing months, arsenic the equilibrium falls.

If you person much than 1 recognition card, experts accidental you should prime 1 and get superior astir paying it off. Start with the paper with the highest involvement complaint oregon the smallest balance.

If you prime the paper with the smallest balance, you tin wage it disconnected rapidly and people a intelligence victory. If you take the paper with the highest interest, you volition wage little involvement implicit time.

While the mean recognition paper involvement complaint present tops 20%, it’s inactive imaginable to motion up for a paper that accrues nary involvement astatine each for a play of 15, 18 oregon 21 months.

Experts accidental that the zero-APR paper tin beryllium a almighty instrumentality for paying down indebtedness due to the fact that you wage nary involvement implicit the months of the promotion.

Be careful, though: Once the promotion ends, the paper institution volition complaint involvement connected immoderate remaining balance.

Another mode to wage disconnected a paper equilibrium much rapidly is to transportation the paper institution to little your involvement rate. Call the supplier and inquire if they would see a complaint reduction.

If that doesn’t work, see contacting a nonprofit specified arsenic the Consumer Credit Counseling Service. Credit counselors tin negociate little involvement rates connected your behalf.

This nonfiction primitively appeared connected USA TODAY: Credit paper indebtedness shame is real, particularly for those making implicit $100K