A new AARP survey suggests nearly half (47%) of adults 50 and older who carry credit card debt use their cards to pay for necessities like health care, car payments and housing. Some 17% admitted they charged expenses to cover gaps in their budget every single month last year, putting them deeper in the red.

Americans defaulted on $59 billion in credit card debt and took on an additional $74 billion in credit card debt.

Borrowers should recognize these early warning signs to address credit card debt before it becomes unmanageable.

Americans have more credit card debt than ever. Figure out how much you owe and how long it will take to pay back.

At the moment, U.S. credit card debt jumped by $45 billion in the fourth quarter to $1.21 trillion, according to the Federal Reserve, as reported by Forbes.com. While the central bank did not provide a breakdown,

Credit card interest rates average more than 20 percent these days, which means carrying a balance can quickly snowball into paying a lot in interest charges. If you’re carrying debt, there are options to help you minimize the interest you’re paying,