This article summarises research published by Citizens Advice in August 2017. The findings reflect that time. The section on current rules was checked in October 2026.

ClearScore is a credit broker, not a lender.

Credit cards can be used to spread the cost of purchases, and some offer rewards or purchase protection. If the balance isn't repaid in full, interest and charges are added, and for people who are already finding repayments difficult, extra borrowing can make their situation harder to manage.

In August 2017, Citizens Advice published research called Stuck in Debt. The report looked at how people come to be in long-term problem debt. One of its findings was about credit card limits being increased without the customer asking. Citizens Advice made recommendations to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), lenders and the government. Since then, the FCA has introduced rules on credit limit increases and persistent credit card debt. They are summarised below.

What the 2017 research found

Citizens Advice commissioned an online poll of 2,116 people, carried out on 23–26 June 2017. It found that 18% of credit card holders who were struggling with their debts said their credit limit had been increased in the previous year without them asking. The figure for all credit card holders was 12%.

Citizens Advice regarded someone as struggling with their debts if any of the following applied:

• they were in arrears

• they had missed repayments on a credit or store card

• they said they found meeting debt repayments a struggle

• they found their debts to be a heavy burden

Citizens Advice argued that unrequested credit limit increases could add to the debts of people who were already having difficulty repaying. The research showed a difference in how often each group reported increases. It did not establish why lenders made those decisions.

More recent data on ongoing borrowing

ClearScore analysed data from more than 400,000 of its users to track emergency borrowing between January 2025 and January 2026. Of the people using emergency lending at the start of the period, 29% were no longer using it a year later, while 71% were still using emergency borrowing. (Overdrafts were not included in the definition of emergency lending.)

This analysis measures something different from the 2017 Citizens Advice research, which looked at unrequested credit limit increases, but both look at how borrowing can continue and become persistent over time.

In the current market, typical household credit card debt sits at an average of £2,601, according to ClearScore analysis of data from the Office for National Statistics.

Based on ClearScore’s analysis of Bank of England and ONS data, average household credit card debt was around £2,601 at the end of 2025.

Why limits can change

Lenders review credit limits for a number of reasons. Cards for people with limited or poor credit history tend to start with lower limits. For example, when we checked in October 2026, some credit-builder cards had starting limits from as low as £150, with the limit offered depending on the lender's assessment. A lender may raise a limit after a period of on-time payments. Because people with lower starting limits have more room for an increase, this may be part of the reason increases were more common in one group. The 2017 research did not test this.

A higher limit can lower your credit utilisation (the share of your available credit you're using) if your balance stays the same, and this can be one factor in your credit score. If the extra credit is used, though, the balance and the interest charged on it go up.

Credit reference agencies compile credit reports and calculate scores using their own models. Lenders use their own scoring and lending criteria, so the score you see is not necessarily the score a lender uses. Eligibility and acceptance are decided by each lender and depend on its own criteria and checks. Checking your eligibility does not guarantee that you'll be accepted.

What Citizens Advice recommended in 2017

The report called on the FCA to make sure credit cards don't keep people in long-term debt. Its credit card recommendations were:

• credit limits should not be increased unless the customer requests it

• lenders should check whether people can afford more debt before offering a credit limit increase

• credit card firms should offer forbearance to customers who have paid back more in charges than in capital for two years

• the statutory minimum repayment should be increased for new cards

The rules that apply now

The FCA introduced rules on persistent credit card debt in March 2018, and firms had to comply by 1 September 2018. Under the FCA's Consumer Credit sourcebook (CONC), as checked in October 2026:

• Credit limit increases: a firm must not increase, or offer to increase, a credit card limit if the customer has said they don't want increases, or if the customer is at risk of financial difficulties (CONC 6.7.7R). Customers can reduce or decline any increase, and can opt out of receiving offers of increases (CONC 6.7.8R). For credit and store cards, firms must give at least 30 days' notice of a proposed increase, unless the customer asked for it (CONC 6.7.9R).

• Affordability: before significantly increasing a credit limit, a firm must assess creditworthiness, including whether the customer can afford the repayments (CONC 5.2A.4R).

• Persistent debt: a customer is in persistent debt if, over 18 months, they have paid more in interest, fees and charges than they have repaid of the amount borrowed. The firm must then contact them about changing their repayments. After 27 months, it must send a reminder if the customer is likely still to be in persistent debt at 36 months. At 36 months, the firm must offer ways to repay the balance faster, usually over three to four years. If the customer can't afford this, the firm must show forbearance, which can include reducing, waiving or cancelling interest, fees and charges. If the customer doesn't respond, the firm must suspend or cancel use of the card (CONC 6.7.27R to 6.7.40R).

• Minimum repayments: the minimum repayment on a credit card must cover at least the interest, fees and charges applied, plus 1% of the balance (CONC 6.7.5R).

• Consumer Duty: since 31 July 2023, the FCA's Consumer Duty has required firms to act to deliver good outcomes for retail customers, including those in financial difficulty.

Sources: FCA Handbook, CONC 6.7, CONC 5.2A, FCA press release, 27 February 2018.

Free debt advice

Free, confidential debt advice is available from:

• Citizens Advice

• StepChange

• National Debtline

• MoneyHelper's debt advice locator

If you're contacted about persistent debt or offered a credit limit increase, you can contact your card provider to ask about your options. You can also ask it to stop sending you offers of limit increases.