Shoppers using cards more

Spending using electronic cards edged ahead in October as more money was spent on vehicle fuel.

Total electronic card transactions edged up a seasonally adjusted 0.2 per cent last month from September, Statistics New Zealand (SNZ) said today.

Transactions in the core retail industries, which exclude vehicle-related industries, fell 0.4 per cent, and for the retail industries transactions fell 0.2 per cent.

The total value of card transactions has risen for the past four months, seasonally adjusted, while the fall in the retail and core retail industries followed three months of rises.

SNZ said vehicle fuel retailing using electronic cards was up 1.7 per cent last month, non-retail rose 0.8 per cent, and durables lifted 0.5 per cent, while consumables fell 0.7 per cent.

The actual value of transactions in the core retail series was 2.8 per cent higher in October than a year earlier.

- NZPA