Credit card holders to spend more on bill payments

Credit card holders to spend more on bill payments

Urip Hudiono, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Credit card holders may have to start setting more aside next
month in order to pay their monthly accounts, along with their
other regular expenditure that has risen due to the recent surge
in inflation.

This is especially true for those who usually pay only the
minimum-allowed amount on their accounts, as credit card issuers
gear up to fully comply with the central bank's requirement for a
minimum monthly repayment of at least 10 percent of outstanding
debt by December.

"I guess I'll have to start spending less with my credit card
then, or I may not be able to afford to pay all my debts," said
Cindy, a 27-year old who will be among those affected by the new
regulation.

Cindy, who earns about Rp 3 million (US$300) a month, can run
up a credit card bill of some Rp 5 million each month -- once,
even Rp 10 million. As a marketing employee, Cindy needs good
clothes when meeting up with her customers.

With the previous minimum payment of 5 percent, Cindy usually
paid about Rp 250,000, before paying up the rest of the bill
later on a monthly interest rate of 3 percent when she got some
extra money.

"But if the minimum payment is now set at 10 percent, then
I'll have to pay at least Rp 500,000," she said.

"Meanwhile, I still have to pay the rent, my phone bill, and
installments on a house I am buying on credit. Prices have also
gone up lately, so I really have to watch my spending more
carefully from now on, or expect a debt collector to come
knocking on my door."

On concerns that the unsecured nature of credit cards might
raise the banking sector's level of non-performing loans, the
central bank last year issued Regulation No. 6/30/PBI/2004 on
card-based payments, requiring every credit card issuer to set a
10 percent minimum monthly repayment as part of their risk
management scheme.

BI has given a one-year tolerance for card issuers to comply
with the regulation, before imposing such sanctions as revoking
licenses to issue credit cards.

Credit cards have lately experienced a boom, reaching some 7.5
million at present around the country, and are used for some 12
million transactions worth up to Rp 30 trillion per year,
according to the Indonesian Credit Card Association (AKKI).

Apart from strong demand, the rapid growth is also due to
aggressive marketing by card issuers, who offer easy application
requirements, relatively low interest rates and low minimum
payments, in order to net new card holders.

The downside, however, is the level of non-performing credit
card loans, now standing at about 5 percent, leading to BI's
regulation and an additional burden on credit card holders who
have been enjoying the low minimum payments.

Not all credit card holders, however, are as worried as Cindy.
Many, in fact, do not care about the rise, as they usually pay
their bill in full, like Karlin, a 25-year old, who even has two
credit cards.

"The total bill for both my cards is usually just Rp 500,000,
so it won't matter much if the minimum payment rises," she said.

"I don't like not paying my bill in full anyway, because I
know I'll then be charged interest. I also use my cards just
for emergency expenses, like when I'm short of money when on a
business trip abroad."