New Zealand Credit Card Spending Drop the Most in A Year

2026-02-15 23:52 By Farida Husna 1 min. read

The seasonally adjusted electronic card transactions in New Zealand fell 1.1% month-over-month in January 2026, steeper than a 0.3% decline in the previous month.

The latest result marked the fastest drop since January 2025, dragged by declines in some categories, including consumables (-0.9%), durables (-1.7%), hospitality (-2.1%), and fuel (-3.7%).

In contrast, apparel (0.6%), motor vehicles excluding fuel (0.2%), and services (1.9%) posted gains.

On an annual basis, total electronic card spending grew 0.4%, reversing a 0.5% fall in December.



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New Zealand Credit Card Spending Rebounds
The seasonally adjusted electronic card transactions in New Zealand rose 1.4% month-over-month in February 2026, reversing a 1.1% decline in the previous month and marking the first rise since last November. The upturn was supported by strength in some categories, including consumables (1.8%), durables (1.3%), hospitality (2.4%), and apparel (0.6%). In contrast, fuel (-1.2%) and motor vehicles excluding fuel (-0.5%) declined. On an annual basis, total electronic card spending grew 1.5%, picking up from a 0.4% increase in January.
2026-03-15
New Zealand Credit Card Spending Drop the Most in A Year
The seasonally adjusted electronic card transactions in New Zealand fell 1.1% month-over-month in January 2026, steeper than a 0.3% decline in the previous month. The latest result marked the fastest drop since January 2025, dragged by declines in some categories, including consumables (-0.9%), durables (-1.7%), hospitality (-2.1%), and fuel (-3.7%). In contrast, apparel (0.6%), motor vehicles excluding fuel (0.2%), and services (1.9%) posted gains. On an annual basis, total electronic card spending grew 0.4%, reversing a 0.5% fall in December.
2026-02-15
New Zealand Electronic Card Spending Drops in December
Electronic card transactions in New Zealand decreased 0.1% month-over-month (seasonally adjusted) to NZD 11.0 billion in December 2025. Spending rose in some categories, notably fuel (1.1%) and hospitality (1.4%), while consumables (-0.1%) and services (-2.1%) fell. On the other hand, apparel (-3.6%), motor vehicles, excluding fuel (-1.8%), and durables (-0.1%) all declined. On an annual basis, total electronic card spending decreased 1% in December, following a 1.8% rise a month earlier.
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