US credit card delinquencies climbed to a record high in January and further deterioration is likely as the economy slows down and unemployment rises, Fitch Ratings says.

Payments at least 60 days late rose almost half a percentage point last month to a record 3.75 per cent, said Fitch. Credit card lenders also wrote off loans to delinquent borrowers at close to record levels, and such "charge-offs" were expected to breach records in the coming months.