Transaction volumes on credit and charge cards are increasing but balances accruing interest are still in decline.According to Reserve Bank figures released yesterday, transaction volumes on credit and charge cards rose 10.1 per cent in March - up from 153.2 million in February to 168.7 million in March.The March volume was 14.8 per cent higher than the volume for March last year.The value of transactions was up 7.5 per cent month-on-month, and up 13.6 per cent year-on-year.MWE Consulting noted that cash advances exceeded A$10 billion for the first time in more than two years.While consumers are using their credit and charge cards more often, they are still reluctant to run up debt. Balances accruing interest fell 1.2 per cent in March - from $35.2 billion in February to $34.7 billion in March.March balances accruing interest were 0.8 per cent lower than balances in March last year.Given the increase in the number of card accounts over the past year, the average balance accruing interest has fallen by 3.6 per cent from $2294 in March last year to $2211 now.