Spain | Impact of COVID-19 on consumption in real time and high definition in Aug-21

Summary

Card spending in August was 35% higher than in Aug-19 (28% in July). Transactions with Spanish cards gained momentum, especially non-face-to-face (139%), while those with foreign cards narrowed the gap with 2019 figures.

Key points

• Key points:
• The demand for services, boosted by tourism, grew more than that for goods, in line with what happened in June and July. As a result, their share increased to 65% at the end of August, 5 and 9 points higher than in the same period of 2019 and 2020, respectively.
• Card purchases outpaced those made Aug-19 in all sectors except beauty, fashion and travel. The rise in mobility boosted spending in tourism-dependent activities, such as accommodation, travel and transport, which were the most up on July.
• For the first time since the beginning of the crisis, face-to-face transactions exceeded the 2019 level in all provinces (50 in July). In Segovia, Ávila, Teruel and Cádiz, they were 40% higher, but the increase since July was greater in tourist areas, such as the Balearic Islands, Málaga, Tenerife and Almería
• In contrast to purchases, cash withdrawals with cards lost momentum in August and were 6% lower than in Aug-19 (-3% in July).

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