The electronic card transactions (ECT) series cover debit, credit, and charge card transactions with New Zealand-based merchants. The series can be used to indicate changes in consumer spending and economic activity.
Key facts
All figures are seasonally adjusted unless otherwise specified.
Values are at the national level and are not adjusted for price changes.
May 2024 month
Changes in the value of electronic card transactions for the May 2024 month (compared with April 2024) were:
- spending in the retail industries decreased 1.1 percent ($69 million)
- spending in the core retail industries decreased 0.8 percent ($48 million).
| Month | Actual | Seasonally adjusted | Trend |
| May-21 | 6129789000 | 6281224000 | 6237815000 |
| Jun-21 | 5930914000 | 6307236000 | 6288573000 |
| Jul-21 | 6252189000 | 6363018000 | 6312846000 |
| Aug-21 | 4821625000 | 5097962000 | 6313892000 |
| Sep-21 | 4878099000 | 5123105000 | 6304030000 |
| Oct-21 | 5774430000 | 5661737000 | 6294445000 |
| Nov-21 | 6436912000 | 6164602000 | 6289270000 |
| Dec-21 | 7770984000 | 6290324000 | 6288889000 |
| Jan-22 | 6346436000 | 6350432000 | 6291937000 |
| Feb-22 | 5449256000 | 5940205000 | 6297024000 |
| Mar-22 | 5910254000 | 5849674000 | 6302686000 |
| Apr-22 | 6113927000 | 6260404000 | 6313309000 |
| May-22 | 6171502000 | 6402666000 | 6335230000 |
| Jun-22 | 6042842000 | 6378463000 | 6372238000 |
| Jul-22 | 6221006000 | 6384037000 | 6420766000 |
| Aug-22 | 6116981000 | 6440437000 | 6470808000 |
| Sep-22 | 6270883000 | 6550701000 | 6512172000 |
| Oct-22 | 6734272000 | 6649870000 | 6543690000 |
| Nov-22 | 6895341000 | 6577244000 | 6570222000 |
| Dec-22 | 8146272000 | 6550142000 | 6594799000 |
| Jan-23 | 6515834000 | 6574241000 | 6617800000 |
| Feb-23 | 6085125000 | 6635937000 | 6639343000 |
| Mar-23 | 6824429000 | 6712483000 | 6657899000 |
| Apr-23 | 6502381000 | 6712767000 | 6669532000 |
| May-23 | 6389119000 | 6621118000 | 6667811000 |
| Jun-23 | 6341161000 | 6659797000 | 6655700000 |
| Jul-23 | 6395060000 | 6611956000 | 6639660000 |
| Aug-23 | 6372791000 | 6660098000 | 6627712000 |
| Sep-23 | 6370078000 | 6619546000 | 6623406000 |
| Oct-23 | 6596333000 | 6578023000 | 6623738000 |
| Nov-23 | 7037830000 | 6667880000 | 6623558000 |
| Dec-23 | 8100650000 | 6582157000 | 6617892000 |
| Jan-24 | 6617940000 | 6643407000 | 6603497000 |
| Feb-24 | 6282994000 | 6591170000 | 6578180000 |
| Mar-24 | 6667122000 | 6542941000 | 6545908000 |
| Apr-24 | 6258117000 | 6517158000 | 6512526000 |
| May-24 | 6286155000 | 6448570000 | 6487503000 |
By retail spending category, movements were:
- hospitality, down $25 million (2.0 percent)
- fuel, down $16 million (2.8 percent)
- durables, down $15 million (1.0 percent)
- motor vehicles (excluding fuel), down $9.5 million (4.8 percent)
- apparel, down $3.9 million (1.2 percent)
- consumables, up $1.3 million (0.1 percent).
| Industry (ANZSIC06) | Percentage change |
| Consumables | 0.1 |
| Durables | -1 |
| Hospitality | -2 |
| Apparel | -1.2 |
| Motor vehicles excl. fuel | -4.8 |
| Fuel | -2.8 |
| Non-retail excl. services | -0.7 |
| Services | -5.8 |
Note, the seasonally adjusted series are adjusted independently of each other, therefore, the sum of the component categories may differ from the total.
The non-retail (excluding services) category decreased by $16 million (0.7 percent) from April 2024. This category includes medical and other health care, travel and tour arrangement, postal and courier delivery, and other non-retail industries.
The services category was down $22 million (5.8 percent). This category includes repair and maintenance, and personal care, funeral, and other personal services.
The total value of electronic card spending, including the two non-retail categories (services and other non-retail), decreased from April 2024, down $81 million (0.9 percent).
In actual terms, cardholders made 164 million transactions across all industries in May 2024, with an average value of $55 per transaction. The total amount spent using electronic cards was $9.0 billion.
More data
Use Infoshare to access the electronic card transactions time series:
Subject category: Economic indicators
Group: Electronic card transactions (ANZSIC06) - ECT
Definitions and metadata
Electronic card transactions data collection methodology - DataInfo+ gives general methodology used to produce electronic card transaction statistics.
Electronic card transactions concepts - DataInfo+ gives definitions of terms used in this release.
Technical enquiries
Yvonne Fakahau
04 931 4600
[email protected]
ISSN 1178-0258
Next release
Electronic card transactions: June 2024 will be released on 12 July 2024.
