Dutch consumers cut back on in-store card payments ahead of Christmas

Dutch consumers made fewer in-store card payments in the lead-up to Christmas this year compared to 2023, according to data from Betaalvereniging Nederland. In the past seven days, a total of 125 million card transactions were recorded, approximately 10 million more than during a typical week. However, this figure represents a 5 percent decline compared to the same pre-Christmas period last year.

The total value of these transactions amounted to nearly 3.8 billion euros, about 1 billion euros more than a regular week and nearly the same as the comparable period in 2023. Betaalvereniging Nederland explained that while the total number of transactions decreased, the average payment amount rose slightly, likely due to rising prices in stores.

The decline in in-store activity was especially notable on the Saturday before Christmas, traditionally one of the busiest shopping days of the year. This year, card payments totaled 21 million on that day, generating 704 million euros in sales. By contrast, the same day in 2023 saw 25 million transactions worth 809 million euros.

Online payment activity painted a contrasting picture. During the same seven-day period, nearly 34 million iDEAL payments were processed, up from fewer than 32 million transactions during the corresponding days in 2023. This growth aligns with a broader trend of consumers increasingly turning to online shopping for holiday purchases.

Betaalvereniging Nederland highlighted that online retailers had seen a steady uptick in orders in the final days before Christmas. This follows a similar pattern observed earlier in the season during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, as well as in the lead-up to Sinterklaas.