Christmas holiday is the busiest season of the year, with December emerging as the peak month for consumer spending, and card payment activity, according to Visa Consulting and Analytics (VCA). Based on card-present transactions—where both the cardholder and physical card are at the point of sale—holiday spending trends showcase Filipino spending behavior across local and overseas transactions throughout December, highlighting the powerful cultural and economic influence of the holidays on consumer behavior.
“Christmas brings people together, and our data underscores the holidays’ enduring socio-cultural and economic significance to the country. For Visa, it’s important that we enable these personal journeys and experiences through payments that are fast, seamless, and secure, so that Filipinos and tourists alike can have meaningful celebrations anywhere across the country and abroad,” said Jeffrey Navarro, country manager for Visa Philippines.
Filipinos spend more in December than at any other time in the year, with transactions surging and reaching their peak throughout the month due to holiday shopping. Consumer spending habits during the Christmas season involve buying gifts for loved ones and other things needed for family gatherings.
Filipinos start holiday shopping early, with local spending rising, and hitting its peak on December 23. Filipinos traveling overseas accelerate spending after Christmas, peaking on December 29, as leisure and travel-related purchases ramp up steadily.
The arrival of tourists and returning overseas Filipinos contributed to the surge in foreign spending within the country using foreign-issued cards. The top inbound corridors by payment volume in US dollars are the United States, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore.
These tourists spend the most in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Cebu, and Davao, indicating that festive spending is spread nationwide.
Spending habits vary by inbound tourists’ origin: visitors from the US, South Korea, Singapore, Australia, and Hong Kong spend most on lodging; Taiwanese and Japanese tourists favor entertainment; Indian travelers allocate more to education and government; Canadians and many Americans prioritize food and groceries.
