Aussie mortgage holders and renters lead in unpaid card debt: survey

Mortgage payers owe A$1,342 on average, compared to homeowners owing A$787.

Over 1 in 3 Australians leave part of their credit card debit unpaid each month, according to research by Roy Morgan, with mortgage payers and renters having more debt on average.

From a survey of over 60,000 Australians, 36% of credit card holders leave credit card debt unpaid at the end of each month, according to Roy Morgan’s Single Source survey released on 5 November 2025.

The median amount owed is at A$1,037.

Those with greater ongoing living expenses tend to owe more, with more owed to mortgage payers (A$1,342) and renters (A$911) than by those owning their home outright (A$787).

“Disturbingly, an estimated 423,000 Australians leave unpaid credit card debt each month of over $5,000. This equates to 2% of the total Australian adult population, and 6% of credit card holders,” said Suela Qemal, general manager of financial services, Roy Morgan.

“These patterns suggest that cost-of-living pressures, particularly the high expense of rent and mortgage repayments, are key drivers for why many Australians rely on credit to make ends meet,” Qemal said.

Meanwhile, 1 in 7 (14%) of credit card holders have accessed buy now pay later (BNPL) services. BNPL usage is reportedly higher amongst credit card holders that rent (22%) or pay a mortgage (16%) than homeowners (10%).