US grocery credit use rise

A July 17 Urban Institute survey found that about 63% of working‑age Americans used a credit card for grocery purchases, with roughly one‑third paying balances in full, 20% carrying balances and 9% missing minimum payments. The report also highlighted that nearly one‑fifth of households tapped emergency savings, 5.2% used payday‑loan cash and 8.9% turned to buy‑now‑pay‑later financing, while over 5.6 million unbanked families relied on reloadable prepaid debit cards such as Netspend.

A follow‑up release on July 30 confirmed the widespread reliance on credit, noting that 34.9% of respondents used a credit card and intended to pay it off each month, 19.6% could only make minimum payments and 8.7% could not meet the minimum at all. About 10% reported using buy‑now‑pay‑later services, with more than a third missing a payment. The later snapshot emphasized that low‑ and moderate‑income households are disproportionately affected, with over half using debt for food, and that the share of people unable to make minimum payments rose by 1.6% since 2023.