Probably, the most striking change

Probably, the most striking change in shopping habits during the last twenty years or so is the sharp rise in the use of credit cards. According to the recent statistics, nearly 80% of big purchases are paid for with credit cards. These cards are made of plastic, so sometimes people call them just plastic money.
This is very different from the old form of credit: when you bought some­thing expensive, e.g. a washing ma­chine or a TV, you signed an agree­ment with a shop promising to pay for the goods in installments, weekly or monthly. With a credit card you can buy goods up to a certain limit in practically any shop. You simply hand the card to a shop assistant or cashier, they put it into a special machine, you sign the bill and get the goods. You can use your credit card not only for shopping but in restaurants, hotels, hair­dresser's, to buy rail and air tickets etc. Shops and other places that accept credit cards often display those which they accept in their window or in some other prominent place.

At the end of each month or a quarter you get an account, a state­ment from the bank or the company that issued the card, showing the places where you bought things or had some­thing done and the price. You have to pay not only for the goods or services you've had, but interest as well, inter­est for the money you've borrowed to pay for these things. Some companies don't charge interest if you pay your account immediately. The interest rate is over 20%, but it varies from one company to another and according to the economic situation.
Why do so many people use credit cards if they have to pay so much interest? The point is that credit cards are very convenient and many people don't think about the statement they'll get at the end of the month when they're shopping or having a meal in a restaurant or having their hair done. They show the magic card and get everything they want. When they see the amount of interest they think of it as payment for a service, they pay for the convenience of buying things on credit. But no one complains about the interest rate.

As for getting into debt, most peo­ple are very sensible and know how much they can afford to spend. A real problem is with young people. Banks allow and even encourage them to have bank accounts and credit cards. And young people want all sorts of things they can't really afford and can't resist the temptation to overspend. They haven't got much experience of deal­ing with money, so they often get into debt and ask their parents to help them out.
Nowadays a lot of cardholders are no longer satisfied with one credit card. They often have two or more as there's a limit to the amount of credit you can get with each card. It depends on your income as declared when you apply for the card. The more credit cards you have, the more money you can spend.

Результаты (русский) 1:

Наверное самое поразительное изменение в покупательские привычки за последние двадцать лет или около того является резкий рост использования кредитных карт. Согласно последним статистическим данным около 80% крупных покупок оплачиваются с помощью кредитных карт. Эти карты сделаны из пластика, так что иногда люди называют, их просто пластиковые деньги.Это очень отличается от старой формы кредита: когда вы купили что-то дорогое, например, стиральную машину или телевизор, вы подписали соглашение с магазином, обещая платить за товар в рассрочку, еженедельно или ежемесячно. С помощью кредитной карты вы можете купить товары до определенного предела в практически в любом магазине. Вы просто передать карточку продавца или кассира, они положили его в специальную машину, вы подписать законопроект и получить товар. Вашу кредитную карту можно использовать не только для покупок, но и в ресторанах, гостиницах, парикмахер, чтобы купить железнодорожные и авиабилеты и др. Магазины и другие места, которые принимают кредитные карты часто отображаются те, которые они принимают в окне или в некоторых других видное место. В конце каждого месяца или квартала, вы получите счет, выписка из банка или компании, выпустившей карту, обозначающей места, где вы купили вещи или было что-то сделать и ценой. Вы должны платить не только за товары или услуги, которые вы имели, но интерес, а также проценты за деньги, которые вы заимствовали, чтобы заплатить за эти вещи. Некоторые компании не взимают проценты, если вы платите ваш счет немедленно. Процентная ставка составляет более 20%, но это зависит от одной компании к другой и в зависимости от экономической ситуации.Why do so many people use credit cards if they have to pay so much interest? The point is that credit cards are very convenient and many people don't think about the statement they'll get at the end of the month when they're shopping or having a meal in a restaurant or having their hair done. They show the magic card and get everything they want. When they see the amount of interest they think of it as payment for a service, they pay for the convenience of buying things on credit. But no one complains about the interest rate.As for getting into debt, most peo­ple are very sensible and know how much they can afford to spend. A real problem is with young people. Banks allow and even encourage them to have bank accounts and credit cards. And young people want all sorts of things they can't really afford and can't resist the temptation to overspend. They haven't got much experience of deal­ing with money, so they often get into debt and ask their parents to help them out.Nowadays a lot of cardholders are no longer satisfied with one credit card. They often have two or more as there's a limit to the amount of credit you can get with each card. It depends on your income as declared when you apply for the card. The more credit cards you have, the more money you can spend.