Isle residents’ credit card debt is nation’s eighth highest

Hawaii has the eighth-highest credit card debt in the nation, with customers owing an average $5,966, according to a new report by CreditCards.com.

The study, which compared the average credit card debt and the median income in each state, estimates that it would take the typical Hawaii resident 16 months to get out of debt and cost them $621 in interest if using 15 percent of income to pay down credit cards.

“Previously I would just spend my last cent to make everyone happy (during the holidays). I would go for broke and end up broke,” said Kaimuki resident Renee Tulonghari, who is spending at least $500 less this holiday season than a year ago. “We used to do that all the time, spend just because. But I’m getting a little bit older and wiser. You still want to enjoy the season and not have to go into debt.”

The state’s average credit card debt is more than $400 higher than the national average of $5,551.

“It’s the cost of living, and a lot of people here are dependent on service jobs. Service jobs come and they go, and people often don’t have enough savings to hold them through a period of lower employment,” said Nathaniel Hartmann, assistant marketing professor for the University of Hawaii Shidler College of Business. “Therefore they fall into credit card debt, and the high interest rate often creates a challenge in overcoming it. The danger of it is that it’s really hard to think about the future because when you have so much debt, you’re oftentimes thinking about catching up.”

Especially during the holidays, consumers should be mindful of their spending, Hartmann said.

“The best gift you can give yourself is freedom. A lot of people don’t manage their money very effectively. … I would focus on paying down bills and less on acquiring more things that you’re going to have to pay off.”

While Hawaii’s credit card debt is significantly higher than most states’ (only seven states have higher averages per cardholder), it has the nation’s 13th-highest median income at $34,730, the report said. Alaska residents carry the highest credit card debt at $7,552, while Iowa has the lowest at $4,410.

“Hawaii has one of the 10 highest credit card balances and ranked in top 15 in terms of median income. When you add those two factors together, it kind of puts you more or less in the middle of the pack when it comes to credit card debt burden,” said Matt Schulz, senior industry analyst at CreditCards.com, an online company that helps consumers shop for credit cards. “Hawaii is in a far better situation than Alaska and some of the other states. (But) as people are finishing their holiday shopping, it’s super important that people keep in mind what they owe on their credit cards. The last thing people would want going into the new year would be a holiday debt hangover.”

The report suggested consumers pay down their credit card debt to improve their credit rating, which could in turn lead to lower interest rates on money borrowed.

“The benefits of a lighter card debt burden go beyond the mere interest it will cost to dig out of card debt,” CreditCards.com said in a news release. “Not surprisingly, states with lighter card debt loads have better credit scores than others.”

John Pelletier, director of the Center for Financial Literacy at Champlain College in Burlington, Vt., said in the news release, “The average American is going to pay well over $100,000 in interest over their life. But one person could pay double someone else, just because they have bad credit.”