Home > Business > Industry

Overseas card spending hits record high in Q3 on rising travel demand

Published: 25 Nov. 2025, 14:42

Travelers move through and shop inside the duty-free area of Terminal 1 at Incheon International Airport on Nov. 6. [YONHAP]

Koreans' overseas card spending reached an all-time high in the third quarter, driven by increased overseas travel during the summer holiday period, data showed Tuesday.

Overseas credit and debit card spending reached a record $5.93 billion in the July to September period, up 7.3 percent from the previous quarter, according to data from the Bank of Korea (BOK).

The previous record was $5.71 billion in the third quarter of 2024.

"The increase was mainly attributable to higher demand for overseas travel during the summer vacation period, while transactions from overseas online shopping remained at a similar level to the previous quarter," a BOK official said.

Government data showed that the number of outbound travelers rose 4.8 percent on quarter to 7.09 million in the third quarter, while overseas online shopping made with credit cards edged down 1.2 percent to $1.53 billion.

By card type, spending with credit cards and debit cards increased 7.4 percent and 7.3 percent on-quarter, respectively, during the cited period.

Meanwhile, non-residents' card spending in Korea reached $3.76 billion in the third quarter, slightly below the $3.79 billion posted in the second quarter when the figure hit a record high.

Yonhap