Nearly one-fifth of all last-minute Christmas shopping will be placed on credit cards, research has found.
According to Sainsbury's Bank, £2.1 billion will be spent using credit cards in the last week before Christmas, 18 per cent of the total spend.
It found that 8.6 million will use credit cards to pay for presents and festive food during the last-minute shopping trip, compared to 6.5 million last year.
"Credit cards can be a safe and convenient way to do your Christmas shopping and some provide great rewards for using them," said Donald MacLeod, head of cards at Sainsbury's.
The wide range of terms and conditions available means that consumers need to make sure they get the right deal for them, he added.
Research by UK payments association Apacs found that Brits are estimated to spend £53 billion on Christmas this year. It forecast that £11.7 billion of this would be on credit cards.
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