It enters into force from the next Monday (April 3) The new rule for payment of the credit card invoice. With the change, the consumer can only remain in the revolving credit until the expiration of the next invoice, making it impossible, its renewal month by month in an undefined way. Namely: the limit of the revolving credit will be only thirty days. Thereafter, the delayed value must be paid or financed by means of a split credit line offered by the card operator, obligatorily with better conditions than the installments. In practice, a debt with interest rates that can currently reach 490% per year is exchanged for one with an average rate of 160%.

The measure taken by the federal government aims to avoid overindebtedness and reduce the interest charged, which can reduce the incidence of defaulting consumers with this type of credit, which is the most expensive in the market, exceeding that of the special cheque. Today, the delinquency of the Rotary credit card for individuals is 33.2% of total operations, while the installment is only 1.2%.

For the president of Cndl, Honório Pinheiro, the new rules should facilitate the payment of overdue debts on the credit card. "Before the consumer surprises with the exponential growth of his debt in the revolving, which charges high interest, he will have the opportunity to installments this pending with a lower interest rate. As the final value of the debt will be less than if it were in the revolving, your payment may be easier, avoiding that the consumer has its name entered in the registrations of delinquents ", says the president of Cndl, Honório Pinheiro.

Despite the new modality being positive, SPC Brazil's chief economist, Marcela Kawauti, warns that scheduling to pay the bill until the expiration date remains the best attitude and that the consumer should not interpret the new rules with financing Cheaper debt as an incentive to the unbridled use of the credit card. "As much as the new rule is welcome to the consumer, this does not diminish the need to be cautious in spending on the credit card. It is good to remember that the high rates of Rotary credit continue to be charged in the first month of delay, "he explains.

However, if the delay in payment is inevitable, the consumer must choose options that offer better conditions, including researching the interest practiced by the various banks, which may vary. "It is always recommended that the debt of the card, albeit in installments, be exchanged for personal loans, for example, which is generally cheaper for the consumer and deducted automatically from the payroll," recommends The Economist.