Malaysian consumers' credit card usage behavior

Purpose – Despite the spread in usage and ownership of credit cards, few studies have examined its effect on consumer debt in developing nations. The main purpose of this paper is to understand consumers' attitude and spending behavior using credit cards. Design/methodology/approach – This study is based on a questionnaire survey conducted in Malaysia. Based on an extensive review of literature, a model is developed to identify the psychographic factors that influence the consumer attitudes toward using credit cards. Findings – The paper found support for some of the theoretical expectations and lends support to some of the earlier deviations reported in the literature. Practical implications – The findings are likely to be important to banks and financial institutions issuing credit cards, as they help managers to have a better understanding of cardholders in Malaysia and their attitude and behavior toward usage of credit cards. Originality/value – This paper makes a valuable contribution given the fact that there is a dearth of empirical studies of this nature focusing on Malaysia.