Americans are more credit card savvy

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (WWLP) - Americans are becoming savvier when it comes to credit cards according to a recent data from TransUnion.

Everyone wants a good credit score so more Americans are paying their credit cards on time.

The National Credit Card delinquency rate has dropped to its lowest level in 17 years, which means more Americans are paying their credit cards on time.

"We pay them off right away so we don't have to worry about it. We sleep better at night that way,” said Rebekah Brooks of Northampton.

If paying off your credit card all at once every single month isn't a possibility for you, one financial expert told us you can pay a little more than the minimum to help you pay it down faster.

"I would always set up my automatic payments for my minimum as an automatic payment so you know your minimum always gets paid,” said Jon Reske of UMass Five College Credit Union.

He also said you should write checks once a month that pay down your principal, that way you're paying off your bills faster without ever worrying about making a late payment.

And he also told us he thinks the Credit Card Act of 2009 has also influenced this trend.

He said people are paying more attention to fees and they're realizing just how long it will take them to pay down their debt if they only pay the minimum.