Summer spenders to pick up £7.89bn bill

People in the UK will not have their spending curtailed by the credit crunch this summer and will part with around £7.89 billion, it has been claimed.

According to research from Sainsbury's Bank, 42 per cent of money being spent this summer will be put on credit cars, while 11 per cent of people will put more than half of their bill on plastic.

Consumers expect to spend an average of around £305.90 on purchases such as clothes and electrical appliances in the sales over the period, the research added.

"If you are going to use a credit card in the summer sales, it pays to use one that gives you attractive rewards that are not only easy to collect but also redeem so that you really are earning whilst you spend and getting a little back," commented Sainsbury's Finance head of cards Donald MacLeod.

Research from money charity Credit Action has found that the UK is in personal arrears of more than £1.3 trillion.

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