<prompt> Human: I question this as a curiousity. I find that in the personal finance subreddit, its typical to have several thousand dollars in credit card debt. What spurs purchases that put you in those situations? Are people paying other bills on their credit cards? Purchasing things on credit for rewards? I have exorbitant student loan debt, but no credit card debt and am finding it difficult to comprehend. Can you elaborate on your personal experiences?  <response>: I find three mains trends all of which Ive experienced personally to some degree over the years. The slow bleed. You never intend to carry a balance beyond maybe a single month, but a few small purchases here and there regularly start racking up the balance and 18 months later you have 4000 on the card. The emergency. You have no savings and you need something. Prescription drugs, rent, groceries, up-front medical costs, etc. This often overlaps with the slow bleed. The shopping spree. You max out the cards on three new phones, six wristwatches, designer clothes and god knows what else. Associated with substance use andor mental illness. 