Consumers are only considering whether they can make the monthly minimum payments on their credit card rather than thinking about the overall cost of the debt.

Price comparison service provider uSwitch.com believes companies should do more to make customers aware of the costs of not paying back credit quickly.

It suggests, credit providers should work harder to highlight the issue on monthly statements and help consumers consider the benefit of payment protection insurance (PPI), which can be used to cover interest payments if a consumer's situation changes.

"If you borrow on your credit card and then make the repayments in small amounts, it will cost you more. The interest will build up and only paying the minimum amount will do little to stop this," said Nick White, head of personal finance at uSwitch.com.

"Lenders should do a lot more to help consumers understand the implications of borrowing and repayments. As with PPI, people fix on the monthly payments without appreciating the full cost."