UK consumer card spending online jumps to £422m a day

Card spending online reached £154 billion in the UK last year, averaging £422 million a day, the UK Cards Association said.

The figure is an increase of 28% since 2014, when online spending amounted to £120 billion.

The UK spends more online per household than any other country, at $5,900 in 2015 - higher than Norway ($5,400), the US ($4,500) and Australia ($4,000), the study found.

Spending on entertainment accounted for one in four online card purchases.

A quarter of all card spending (26%) was online last year, up from 22% in 2014, with 1.8 billion purchases made online at an average of 150 million a month - an increase of 38% from 2014.

Nearly four in every 10 pounds spent on travel is paid for online, with 54% of spending on flights made through the internet.

Consumers now go online for a quarter (23%) of all clothing spending, while 67% of concert ticket spending and 61% of cinema, theatre and dance spending is done on the internet.

The figures come as retail giant Debenhams announced plans to close 10 as yet unidentified stores across the UK in response to falling high street sales.

Marks & Spencer said it was ‘fine tuning’ its property portfolio with six store closures in GB.

Richard Koch, head of policy at the UK Cards Association, said: “Since the early days of internet shopping there has been a host of innovations, from digital wallets to one-click purchases, which bring enhanced security, choice and convenience for customers and which will lead to continued growth in the sector.

“The additional protection provided when using a card also gives consumers extra peace of mind when they are shopping online.”