13 March 2006
UK credit card users spent almost £8 million of their card expenditure on themselves in the last three months of 2005, according to a credit card company.
The Morgan Stanley card index indicated that credit card users spent £7.8 million in the period on themselves.
The company asked a sample of 2,000 people about how they used their plastic and found that Brits spend an average of £166 on things for themselves, with items purchased for their partners or spouses only amounting to £55 over the same period.
Family members fared better from the generosity of credit card users, receiving £99-worth of items over the last quarter of 2005. Spending on children only amounted to £49, with friends only having a miserly £9 spent on them by credit card users.
Patrick Muir, marketing director for the Morgan Stanley credit card, said: "Despite reports of a quiet end to 2005 on the high street, our research shows that Britons still found time for the occasional self-indulgent purchase.
"Over the past few years we have observed a growing trend in using credit cards for making everyday purchases, but they also remain a popular way for people to treat themselves before pay day."
People in their twenties were the most self indulgent with their cards, spending an average of 62% of their bill on themselves. The most generous group was those in their forties and fifties, who spent 70% of their credit card bill on others.
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