`Wise` credit card users `may avoid crunch fall-out`

Credit card users who have been "managing their money properly" may not be hit as badly as others by the effects of the global credit crunch, one industry expert has claimed.

Those who have spent "wisely" on their credit cards should have no need to stop using cards altogether, Moneyfacts stated.

The protection afforded by credit cards when making purchases allows consumers to be flexible with their payments, allowing other financial pressures to be sorted first, Samantha Owens, head of personal finance at the company, said.

Ms Owens added: "Generally the credit crunch shouldn`t have an effect if you`re good with your money, although if you`re bad with your money it`s going to be the same situation as before the credit crunch and you are going to get into difficulties."

A recent Co-operative Financial Services poll found that eight out of every ten people worried about their debts.