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Up to 20% more purchases over Christmas than in 2019

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On Sunday 25 December, around 20% more debit card payments were made in physical shops than on Christmas Day in 2019. On Boxing Day, the figure was roughly 15% higher than in the last year before the coronavirus pandemic. Compared with a normal Sunday and Monday, the number of checkout payments made by debit and credit card was still around 50% lower. Comparisons with 2020 and 2021 are not meaningful because most shops were required to close at the time due to coronavirus restrictions.

Woman in hat and scarf looks at Christmas decorations on the busy market stall, with bags and gold-colored garland in her arm.

Online, more than twice as many payments were made with iDEAL over the Christmas period compared with 2019. Across the entire week up to and including Boxing Day, 75% more online payments were made, for a total estimated value 85% higher than in the corresponding seven days of 2019.

Debit and credit cards were used relatively often at petrol stations during the two Christmas days, as well as on public transport and at other travel companies. The number of payments was still between 5% and 35% lower than on a normal Sunday, but comparatively higher than in other sectors.

In the week up to and including Sunday 25 December, electronic payments at photography, optical and jewellery shops were roughly 85% higher than usual. They were around 35% higher in clothing shops and around 25% higher in toy, hobby and sports shops. Card payments were roughly 30% lower than usual in the arts and culture sector, 20% lower in the catering sector, such as workplace canteens, and around 10% lower in the hospitality and recreation sector.

On average, roughly a quarter of all iDEAL payments are made in online shops, in e-commerce. Around a quarter are for mobile payment requests, such as Tikkies, and half are for other online payments, including municipal taxes, online invoices and topping up mobile phone credit. However, the differences between the festive period and ordinary days can be attributed entirely to e-commerce.

About 8% of all purchases from online shops are paid for by credit card. Credit cards account for around 15% of online-shop turnover because they are used mainly for more expensive online purchases. (Source: Thuiswinkel.org)

Around the festive period, the Dutch Payments Association reports estimated daily transaction volumes and values for debit cards, credit cards and iDEAL. The estimates are based on measurements by payment processor Worldline , credit card issuer International Card Services and Currence , the owner of the iDEAL payment scheme.

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