The Charge BRIGADE

Types of credit card users are as numerous as, well, types of credit cards. Focus Productivity, Inc. of Ridgefield, CT, applied its GoldMiner modeling and research platform to credit-user databases and identified the following chargers. Keep them in mind the next time you insert an offer in a card company’s statement-ride-along program.

Up & Outers Risk-averse, working-class seniors with a heavy Midwestern base. Carry half as many credit cards as average Americans and are less likely to use them regularly. Average household income: $40,000.

Best of Breed These Baby Boomers in their peak earning years carry many lines of credit and extensive card portfolios, heavy on gold cards. Savvy investors and active card users, they are nonetheless wary of new offers. They earn in the $60,000 range and live in major metros, primarily Northeast.

Leaders of the Pack Educated, middle-aged suburban professionals who are savers, not spenders, and use credit cards for convenience. They hold more cards than the average person, but use them less, and will only seek new cards with special benefits or unique positionings. Average income: $50,000.

Cash Carriers Over-55 crowd in small towns with incomes of only $30,000, they like safe investments, face-to-face banking, and cash.

Attainers These managers and entrepreneurs earn anywhere from $60,000 to $100,000 and are sophisticated users of credit. They also have personal credit lines and brokerage accounts.

Choosers Primarily females who are either under 35 or over 55, cards are their primary credit sources. Middle-income suburbanites, they hold a small number of cards with differentiated purposes.

Mastered Chargers These over-35 professionals with incomes topping $60,000 carry a lot of cards and use them, especially for business purposes. Stock market players, they regularly switch to new cards with better interest rates.

The Averse Aging mid- to low-income earners, mostly female, who hardly ever use credit cards.

Line Toe-ers Average Americans in both income and education, they also mirror U.S. credit behavior. Most are 34 to 44, though a secondary group is under 25.

Credit Hounds Young Southern adults with large families, they are big credit card users who also have auto, education, and consolidation loans. They “tap out” more than the norm, and use credit to supplement cash flow.

Once Bittens Due to past payment problems, this group is weaning itself off the plastic habit. They tend to be single and under 35 with low- to mid-level jobs.

Emergers Entry level workers 18 to 24 who are new to credit, they are, so far, responsible. They have direct deposit and 401-K participation, and make regular payments on education and auto loans.

Distressed Americans Single, blue-collar men between 25 and 34 who are relatively new to credit and are less likely to have direct deposit, overdraft protection, or savings accounts.

Untouchables Female heads of households who are either unemployed or at the bottom end of wage scales, they are effectively ignored by credit card companies.

Heavy 900-Number Users Ever wonder about all those people who dial up 900 numbers? Ever think you’d find them browsing at The Gap, playing chess at home, or stumping for an environmental group? Well, they do, according to Spectra Marketing, the Chicago-based data-digger that consults numerous consumer research sources to help marketers develop targeted ads, promos, and products. Spectra tapped MRI and Simmons sources for this consumer profile of demon-dialers.

Sex & age: Males 18-24; Females 35-54

Housing: Rent in mid-upscale suburbs or cities

Occupations: Professional specialty; executive; administrative; managerial

Airline (domestic trips): Continental

Airline (foreign trips): American

Car rental (business): Hertz

Credit card: Visa

Hotel/motel: Residence Inn

Leisure activities: Bars/nightclubs, pool, chess, weightlifiting

Shopping: The Gap

Restaurants: IHOP

Magazines: Cosmopolitan, Ebony, Glamour, Playboy

TV programs: The Simpsons, Married with Children, Roseanne, Fresh Prince of Bel Air

Drinks/snacks: Stolichnaya, Slim Jim

Vices: Newport Kings, Marlboro Lights, Camel Lights

Community activities: Environmental groups

Long-distance carrier: Sprint