UK credit card borrowing rises at fastest annual rate in almost 2 years

Welcome to Debt Matters, the podcast where we turn UK headlines into practical takeaways for credit, collections, and recoveries teams. Today we are looking at fresh Bank of England data showing a sharp jump in consumer borrowing, with credit cards leading the way. We will break down what happened, why it matters for arrears risk, and what to change in your strategy before the post-Christmas squeeze hits.

What happened

* Net consumer credit borrowing rose to £2.1bn in November 2025, up from £1.7bn in October.

* Net borrowing on credit cards was £1.0bn in November, up from £0.7bn in October.

* Annual growth in credit card borrowing increased to 12.1% from 10.9%, the highest since January 2024.

* Overall annual growth in consume ...